A Perfect Process

Do you ever have one of those moments where you are like, “OOOOH!” One of those epiphany or “aha” moments in life? Those are so enlightening aren’t they? (With a hint of sarcasm.)

There is a verse in Philippians that kicks my reality check butt every time. Before I get to the verse let me tell you why this would be an “aha” moment for me. I have a personality of one who likes to fix problems, and if not fix, perhaps assist in the problem solving issues. This is not all together bad, but it crosses that line of good when I place myself in a position to always take on that role. I have realized that in this verse this is not my role.

Philippians 1:6 states, “⁶And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you.”

I have read this verse several times and come to find out my name is not written in it. I have checked lots of versions, but still no “Tracee” in the text. God is the one transforming our hearts and minds.

God began a GOOD work in me. He is the one who draws me to himself for reconciliation. God is the one who began the process of healing my heart’s wounds. His work is good. I also realized that God is the one who develops that good work in me. In the process of my life, he will continue to perfect that good work in me. No one else does this in me.

I am not discounting the role that great and close people play in our lives. People encourage, provide, help, forgive, are gracious, and loving. But people cannot “fix” me. Paul starts off this chapter talking about praying for the people of Philippi. We can pray for one another all the time. We can stand firm with one another, we can encourage, and we can help carry the load, but God is the process. God is the transformer, the healer, the reconciler, the one who carries on to completion all of me.

This is a good thing for me to remember as I love and value people so much. I need this discipline of mind as I pursue counseling others as a profession or just in life. What I want others to know from me is that God has started a good thing and is carrying it on to its perfect completion.

First Fruits

Have you ever been looking so forward to certain meal that your mouth waters for just the thought of tasting it. There are a couple of different foods that my mouth waters for. I have a little party in my head when I  get the chance taste the first bite of these foods.

But what about when your friend asks you for that first bite of your favorite food? I mean that’s the best bite. The bite you’ve been waiting for right? Would you give up your choice bite for your friend?

There is a story in Nehemiah where he is working out a schedule, with the people of Jerusalem, for who would bring what offering to the temple for the Lord each year. One thing that caught my attention was that every items on the list were the best and first of everything to be offered. The priests, the leaders, and the people described bringing their first fruits, first born males of the cattle, and the first of their grains. I realized that God desires our best for himself.

God doesn’t just want the best, he wants our best. God wants the first of our best things to be offered to him. I see this with my heart too. God desires the first fruits of my heart. He desires my best. My heart and thoughts are what I value the most in my life. God desires what I value the most. I am challenged by these verses to give God the “first fruits” of my heart before offering them to  any one else.

I am aware that I have a tendency to pursue others first when processing or wrestling through something. I feel like God wants those things in me. God wants my heart, wrestling, and unedited version of me. I have been trying to pursue God first and talk with him about my heart’s mess.

I have seen fruit, if you will, of giving God my heart’s “first fruits.” This process has changed me. I find myself caring more about what he thinks, even pursuing what the bible says about my mess. Prior to this challenge, I found that I gave my friends words and advice too much weight in my life. God seemed to get my left-overs. I don’t want that at all.

My challenge to you is to figure out what your “first fruits” might be, and give them to the Lord first. See what difference that choice might makes for you.

The Commission

As a kid,  I used to play a game called “Follow The Leader.” This is a game where a group emulates every movement of the one leading. I can picture this game being created by that one dominant kid in the group that wanted everyone to do what they told them. I am realizing how much we still play that game as we grow older.

I must admit that I was that dominant kid in the group leading people around. As I’ve grown up, I still find myself  assuming that role. I have to ask myself the question, “who are people following?“

Jesus invites people to follow after him throughout his life. He spent three full years emulating his relationship with his father in heaven. Jesus showed us how to experience that same relationship. As we looked at yesterday, Jesus challenges us to follow him by going the extra mile as a way of life. He also asks us to follow after him and emulate his way of life as ministry.

I have been reading through the verses in the bible where Jesus is commissioning his best friends, and followers, to go out and emulate a life that they have known in relationship with Jesus. Jesus asks his followers to take what they have learned to live out and pass that life on to others. In essence live a life that enables others to follow after Jesus.

Jesus didn’t say go and make followers of you, he committed the charge to the his disciples to bring people to him. Jesus states specifically, “teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.“

As a leader this is a hard thing to keep in mind. Playing “Follow The Leader” as a kid, I learned to persuade people to follow me.  I am a follower of Christ, a disciple. I want to live a life that enables people to be follower’s of Christ. We are follower’s teaching people to follow, and follow well.

This commission is for every believer of Christ. My hope for you is that you desire to see others follow after him and not you. Our culture tells us to make people follow you. My desire for our lives is to live a  life of being ministry; live a life that points to him who is greater than you.

Second Mile Living

For the past two days I have been talking about the idea of what evangelism really looks as well as the idea of minitry being who you are. As these two topics are important to me, I also wonder how do these ideas play out in my life? How do these ideas come to fruition in my life?

I am a person who gets hooked on words and phrases. I have been hooked on these ideas for over a year now. Along this journey I came across a phrase I have not been able to shake. In the gospel of Matthew, I found Jesus talking about this very topic to a crowd of people.

Jesus takes a crowd of people and has them sit on a large hill. He then starts to teach them about the law. Jesus just doesn’t just teach what the law is, but what the heck this law has to do with them. Jesus points out to the people what they know about the law around them, but then challenges them to take what they know a step further. It is within taking that step that life starts to become ministry.

My mantra comes from Matthew chapter five. Jesus starts each idea with, “you have heard that it was said..” I like his wording because it addresses what is known. Jesus is saying that “you know this already, but…” He uses the example of a person who is forced to carry a centurion soldier’s gear for one mile as a punishment. Jesus challenges the people to take that known law, but take it a step further: walk two miles instead. That second mile will attract the curiosity of the people around. This is where the phrase, “go the extra mile” comes from.

I so desire to be a second mile person. I crave being a person who lives out a life that reflects difference. I want to be different. I want to show different. This means many different specific things to everyone. Jesus gives numerous examples on how to be a second mile person in the first couple chapters of Matthew. Jesus challenges the people to love those who don’t love them back, and give to those who will not give back. Be different. I believe that it is within the second mile that our lives of being ministry begins.

Being a second mile person for me means being someone who chooses the hard of what is right regardless of consequences, working through conflict with friends in humility and gentleness, showing myself faithful, being committed to my word, speaking the truth in love and without judgment, loving deeply, responding in honest weakness and struggle instead of hardening my heart, and sacrificing my own agenda to allow some necessary interruptions of my time.

Being a second mile person looks unique in everyone’s lives, but the point is that you look different. I want people to wonder why I am different. I want to live in that place where the unexpected happens just because I am choosing the second mile.

Jesus states that he desires that “we have life and life to the full.” I believe that life is fully experienced in that second mile.

What would it mean for you to be a second mile person in your life?

Your Life as Ministry

There is an association with the word “ministry” as being a vocation. I have repeatedly heard people say, “I work for this ministry,” or “I want to go into ministry.” There are some really great organizations who represent different characteristics of God, and they call that ministry. But I think our lives are ministry. You are ministry.

Everyone has a weight of influence in life. You may not realize it, but you influence the people around you. We see influence play out all the time in political offices, media, churches, and families. We influence one another all the time.  How we influence our kids affects them as they grow up. How our management influences us makes a difference in the workplace. This carries over into how we are believers as well. Each of our lives influence, and that influence affects people and makes a difference.

Whether we are conscious of it or not, we will all allow ourselves to be influenced by someone. The thread of that influence will produce something in your life, good or bad.

My model for living life as ministry comes from the person of Jesus. Jesus influenced so many by the way he loved, forgave, offered real healing, and by his words of truth. Ministry was not something Jesus did, ministry is who Jesus was. As I grow in an understanding of who Jesus is, I hope my life will reflect living ministry.

So what does it look like to be ministry? It looks very different than the never-ending standards of this world. It’s loving differently. It’s living out integrity and caring about your character. Ministry is showing others real respect, and speaking the truth out of love. Ministry looks like being an example of choosing the hard and honest choice, even if that means hard consequences.

Ministry is the action of living out your relationship with a real God. Your life will influence and change the lives of others. That is ministry. You are ministry.

Real Evangelism

Lately, I seem to find myself in conversations on the topic of evangelism. Evangelism seems like an intimidating word. I think there are many stereotypes that can accompany that word. I know when I think of evangelism, I think of someone on stage, probably on television, preaching about God. That is very intimidating. I think that there is also a misconception that evangelism is only for those who have the “gift” of evangelism.

The word evangelism means something different to me. I do think that there are some gifted speakers out there who can communicate a relationship with Christ very well. I also think that every believer has a responsibility to communicate a true relationship with Christ.

The story of the first disciples in the gospel of John is one of my favorite stories. John explains evangelism in a way that gets me passionate.

In the gospel, John talks about what I describe as the “great invitation.” John tells the story like this: one day Jesus was walking by John the Baptist. John the Baptist points out Jesus and says, “there goes the Lamb of God.” Two of his disciples heard this and head out to follow after Jesus. Jesus then realizes he’s got company and stops to address the men. These two disciples ask Jesus where he is staying. Odd question, but alright a question at that. Jesus doesn’t explain to these men about his life or where he is staying. He simply says, “come and see.”  Three of my favorite words is the bible. Jesus invited these men to be a part of his life. Out of that invitation these two men were changed forever.

Jesus communicates the gospel by inviting people into a relationship with himself. Yes, Jesus had many stages, as well as, many crowds, but he invited twelve into the intimacy of life with him. Those twelve men did the same thing after Jesus was gone. Those twelve men also had many different kinds of stages, but I believe all invited people into their lives to know a true relationship with the savior. Actually, I love that you can see the first example of that between Nathaniel and Philip.

There is a risk with inviting others into your life. There is a real possibility of rejection. Jesus’ invitation was rejected all the time, but he never stopped inviting. The great thing about evangelism is that it’s not about having it all together,  having the “right” answer, or even being that much further ahead of someone.

Evangelism is about growing in an understanding that God died to save your soul and reconcile your heart to his. Evangelism is about offering the same invitation you were given to be reconciled, everyday, back to an original perfect relationship. What that explanation looks like is your life, lived out, growing in the understanding of grace and forgiveness. Evangelism comes out of offering to others the invitation to taste and see that He is God by your life.

This week I want to talk more about evangelism as ministry, being a second mile person, and the great commission.

I would love to hear your thoughts on Evangelism.

Being Real

Today I have been pondering the question of what does it mean to be real? What does it mean to really invite others to know a real me?

There is a difference in knowing the “resume me” and the heart of me. Resume me is a phrase I came up with to describe all the classic questions we first ask one another in an initial meeting. Classic questions would be: Where are you from? What do you do? Where did you go to school? Out of these questions, we begin to form conclusions about one another.

What do those types of questions have to do with the real me? I would not consider myself to be a very “surfacey” person. Actually, I am not a huge fan of small talk. I like the heart. I love the real and unedited thoughts of someone. I appreciate the long version when someone is telling me how they really are. I want to be known for really caring about the question, “how are you?“

Before you find yourself appreciating that desire in me, I struggle with allowing myself to be real in the areas I desire with another. I can tend to jump to the short answer in response to “how are you.” I have a hard time trusting that the other person really cares to know. I even find myself testing out the level of listening from the other person before I risk to be real.

Today I have been challenged by Paul, specifically as he talks to the people of Corinth about his weaknesses. “But he (God) said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

Paul is a very strong leader who desired to be real about himself. He did not mask his fears and insecurities. Some where along his path he understood the grace of God. Paul found freedom in God’s grace with his most vulnerable and insecure characteristics. Paul rested in the grace of a God who loved him in the midst of his weaknesses.

I really desire being real. I value so much when others are willing to risk being real and unedited with me. I want to place my confidence in the grace of God who is made powerful through that which I tend to keep guarded.

As the battle of self-sufficiency continues on, I want to hope for the freedom I trust comes with finding, as well as, responding to his grace being made perfect in me. My challenge is to work on presenting my weaknesses as real with the knowledge of a God who is about grace and power in me.

Are you real?

What do you fear about being real?

Do you stick to your “resume self?”