I needed a pacesetter

This morning I took a run along a beautiful beach-side road.  It was a gorgeous morning.  The sun was shining, a gentle breeze was blowing, and I was so glad to be outside.  I love to run while listening to my ipod.  Music really helps me keep my mind off the pain...  Unfortunately, I didn't have it today.  I found myself distracted by the sound of my own feet.  (I kept looking behind me to see who was following me - blond moments...)  I didn't have the music to make the miles go by a bit faster.  I found myself reaching the end of my energy before the end of my route back to the car.  I kept stopping to walk.  I had just reached my turn-around point when another runner glided by me.  She was about my age, very tall and slender, and was keeping a steady, manageable pace.  I decided to match her, step by step, to see if I could keep up.  I glued my eyes to her feet and fell in about 50 feet behind her.  Wow!  What a difference it made.  The pace was just perfect for me.  The ground that had taken me over 5 minutes to cover only took me 4 when I kept in step with her.  Then I felt the nudge of the Holy Spirit speaking to me.  "That's how I want you to be with Me."  He longs to set the pace if I'll just fall in step behind Him.

"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion?

Come to me.

Get away with me and you'll recover your life.

I'll show you how to take a real rest.

Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it.

Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.

I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.

Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

- Jesus, Mt. 11:28-29, The Message

Yes, Lord,  I hear.  Thanks for reminding me.

The Offenses of Jesus: An Introduction

As I begin this study, I want to talk about the premise.  At first glance, the "offenses of Jesus" sounds like something totally against everything I know about my beloved Savior.  How can anything Jesus does be offensive?  He is love.  He is compassion personified.  He champions the down-trodden, the lonely, the forgotten, the untouchable, and the outcast.  He makes friends with sinners.  He calls the common man to follow Him.  Offensive?  That just can't be.  But when I take a closer look at the gospels, I see that Jesus was indeed offensive to those who thought they knew how to be religious. Jesus wasn't just being rude, not at all. He used offensive language and actions to catch the religious elite off guard.  Bill Johnson puts it best when he says, "Jesus offended the mind to reveal the heart."  That's the idea I want to explore in this study.

Of the many people that Jesus encountered, there were two main groups:  the common people and the religious leaders. Jesus dealt with the common man or woman with unrestrained love and care.  He spoke to them in parables.  He healed and delivered them.  He fed them.  He blessed their children.  He raised their dead.  So much of what we know and love of Jesus is learned by watching how He moved among the people.  But then there was that other group of people.  They were the Pharisees and other leaders of religious law that were always trying to trap and eventually kill Jesus.  They were not moved by Jesus's compassion.  But Jesus loved them, too.  (He's not willing that any should parish.)  With all wisdom, motivated by love, Jesus crafted His words and actions in order to rock their religious boat and in doing so, revealed the deeper status of their heart.

In the 28 chapters of the gospel of Matthew, I have come up with 15 instances where Jesus used offensive words and actions, and this is by no means exhaustive.  It seems that Jesus thought this a worthy method of reaching the lost.  Was it effective?  Sometimes yes, and sometimes no.  In all cases, the hearer's heart was revealed.  How they responded was up to them.  Some believed, some went away sad, and some became murderous.

So why study the offenses of Jesus?   I must confess that in the stories of Jesus and His encounters with the Pharisees, I often see my own sin in their example.  I grew up in the church.  I know how to "do" church with my eyes shut.  And that is a problem.  It's all too easy for me to be legalistic.  I need my heart to be revealed. I need to be thrown off guard once in a while.  I don't want to miss the true message of Jesus because I think I know better.

So join me if you will, as I journey down the road with Jesus.  Let's see where we end up.  I want to have a heart like His.

Search me, O God, and know my heart;

test me and know my anxious thoughts.

Point out anything in me that offends you,

and lead me along the path

of everlasting life.

Psalm 139:23-24 NLT (Emphasis mine.)

The picture of Jesus (at top) hung in my room as a child.  I'm sure He looks just like this!

Compassion killed my joy...

I woke up last night to thunder.  It troubled me.  I used to love severe weather.  Call me crazy, but living in such a beautiful place where the weather changes very little, I would secretly wish for thunder and lightening, an extra "cold" night (low 60's), or torrential rain.  But compassion changed all that.  I'm finding that my joy at the severe weather forecast is severely hampered by the thought of those who must be outside in it.  I'm talking about those with no choice and nowhere else to go.  I can no longer sit back and fully revel in the bad weather.

There was a time when the suffering of others didn't cross my mind.  Don't get me wrong, there are many days when it still doesn't.  I'm just beginning to have my eyes open to the poor around me.  Whenever I've taken those "Spiritual Gifts" tests, compassion was always dead last on my list of strengths.  That was an easy excuse for not getting out of my comfort zone to help others...  sad really.  Actually - wrong.  But Jesus, in His compassion for me, is not content to let me get away with that.  He has opened my eyes and now there is no going back.  There is no way to just forget.  What a gift.

Jesus was no stranger to the poor.  While on earth He said,

“Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests,

but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.”

(Matt 8:20 and Luke 9:38)

 
This life is not about my comfort.  It's about giving glory to God and spreading His love.  So the question is, what do I do now that I see?  Well, that's between Jesus and I.  Everyone is different and called to respond in very personal ways.  But one thing is for sure, seeing is just the first step.  Seeing makes me accountable.  Seeing is the ball being tossed into my court.
 
In Matthew 25, Jesus tells the parable of the sheep and the goats.  The day of reckoning has come and the King is separating those with compassion and those without.  It's a harsh tale with a only one test:  did you or did you not meet the physical needs of those who needed it.  It's either thumbs up or thumbs down.  No room for discussion, "I didn't score well in compassion..."  Some tried the old, "I never saw you..." excuse.  The King is not moved.  (This parable scares the spit out of me.)
 
There is only one way to bring back the joy of severe weather....  Doing for the "least of these" brothers and sisters of mine.
 

The view out my front door this morning, after the thunderstorm cleared.

Picture of Procrastination

This is what happens when I put off filing my music for four months...

Just keeping it real!  *:)

Great weekend ~ and new inspiration!

Our family had a fun weekend.  I hope you did too!  Rachael, my second-born, had her birthday so we celebrated with a last minute surprise birthday party.  Friday night, a few of her friends came over for pizza, Apples to Apples, and the new Disney movie Tangled.  She was so surprised!  Very fun.


On Saturday, we headed up to the North Shore.  We had a new friend, Mary, along.  It is so much fun to show off our island to first-timers.  We brought the surf boards and everyone (except me) hit the waves!  I've never learned, and I didn't want to start with North Shore waves.  I will learn, someday...

On Sunday, we had a really nice service at church.  It's so nice to have new faces.  Then, Mark and I led a short hike to a great watering hole.  We had about thirty people show up!  It was fun.  This just proves that "If you plan it, they will come!"   One of the goals that Mark and I have is to intentionally build community right where we are, starting first with our faith family, and then branching out to those in our geographic community.  This was our first attempt and we were very pleased with the turnout.

So that's a recap of the weekend.  The new inspiration part came today while talking with my first-born, Steph.  She is the one who continues to encourage (read: nags)  me to write - especially this blog.  She reminded me of a study that I have been saying I want to do and write about.  So, I have committed to start.

The idea came from hearing Bill Johnson, senior pastor of Bethel Church in Redding, California speak.  (This is Steph's pastor.)  He mentioned something he called the offenses of Jesus.  He points out the method Jesus used so many times.  When dealing with people, Jesus often "offended" their minds by his words to reveal what was in their heart.  That phrase stuck with me, and the more I read the gospels, the more I see it.   It is a topic that is begging to be explored.

So that is my plan.  I will begin my search of the gospels for the offenses of Jesus, and share what I find here. Thanks for your grace...

"I can do it all by myself... "

That's the refrain of every toddler, "I can do it myself!"  Usually they can, but sometimes it makes a terrible mess in the process.  I was always the kind of mom who found a way to "help" my kids do it so the mess would be less.  (Sorry, kids!)  Not great for building self-reliance. 

This is one aspect of parenting that is totally opposite from the kind of parent God is to me.  I come to Him, relying on my own strength.  But God doesn't want me to be self-reliant.  He wants me to be totally dependent on Him.  My maturity in Christ is measured by how dependent I can be.  So unnatural!  I should learn from my former toddlers and let Him do it!  I'd have fewer messes in my life.

There is a quote that is posted on my refrigerator right now, next to our family calendar.  It's one by A.W. Tozer.  It reads, "God is looking for people through whom He can do the impossible.  What a pity when we plan only the things we can do by ourselves."

I've always considered myself a planner.  Control-freak security...  But what I'm noticing lately is, even though I want to do the will of God, I only attempt the things I think I will be successful at.  I've created a very safe environment for myself.  Well, I'm kind of sick of it.  Time to attempt things that only God can accomplish through me.  Sounds great, but how to start.  It's as unnatural as stepping off a cliff...

James 2:21-24 says,

Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?  You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete.  And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God.  So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.

If I truly want to live the radical life of faith, my actions better be ones that take real faith, not self-reliance.

Lord, I don't just want to do the things I can do by myself. 

I want You to do the impossible through me. Amen!

'Now why don't he write?"

That's one of my favorite lines from the movie, Dances With Wolves.  They are looking down at a pile of bones with an arrow stock in them.  Most likely a pioneer who got on the wrong side of an Indian.  Well, you may have been wondering about me.  No, I haven't succumbed to natives, just the business of life.  I've had a few (many) months off.  Life has gone on in so many unexpected directions, it's hard to know where to start.  I think that what's kept me away for so long...

As Maria Von Trapp said, "Let's start at the very beginning... a very good place to start."

About a month after my last post, July 2010, we seriously had to decide what our oldest daughter was going to do in the fall.  She had just graduated from our home school, and was planning on working for a year to save up enough money to go to ministry school in California. She was not looking forward to that.  Although she had a good job at our local pet store, it wasn't where her heart was anymore.  Well, one thing followed another and the Lord showed us that Steph was not to wait a year.  He had everything worked out for her to go in the fall.  She realized that she had most of the money saved for the tuition.  Now, where would the money come from for her living expenses?  I decided to call my step mom and tell her that Steph would be going to California for school.  We didn't know how, but I had such a burning in my heart, I knew it was the right thing. She told me that she had just picked up the phone to call me.  She and my father had started a college fund for Steph when she was born.  (which I had completely forgotten about...)  Although they hadn't been able to contribute to it in quite awhile, it had matured and she could access it now that she was 18.  What an answer to prayer!  It was just the confirmation we needed.   So Steph was off.  The only thing that the Lord hadn't prepared was my heart.  Maybe that was my job to be doing all along.  I had greatly neglected that part.  Although I knew it was right and was working to make it happen, my heart was grieved at losing my daughter sooner than I had expected.  God blew my mind by providing me with the money to go with Steph and help her get set up in her dorm.  So here we are, seven months later, and I know without a doubt that Steph is where she is supposed to be.  I miss her like crazy, but God is good and there is grace that covers me.

God also blessed me with the opportunity to go visit my sisters on the mainland for my nieces' wedding.  I hadn't seen my sisters in over 5 years, and I had never seen where my sisters live.  They had always come home to Hawaii.  Eleven days away from the family was hard, but I had a wonderful time reconnecting with family, and celebrating Alicia and Jeff's new life together.

Despite these mainland trips and family changes, our school year began as usual.  Now I'm just schooling 3 kids; Rachael is a junior, Rebecca is a freshman, and Andrew is somewhere between 5th and 6th grade. 

I still haven't found a job outside my home.  Even though I continue to send resumes for jobs I'm well qualified for, the doors just haven't been opened.  Mark continues to work hard in the mortgage business, but as everywhere these days, business is extremely slow.  But God is faithful, as He promised He would be.

Another significant development over the last seven months is the beginning of a dream that the Lord has placed in our hearts.  It's a dream to start an intentional community house for ministry.  Believing that there is more to be done in the lives of those around us, we want to move into a bigger house where we can join with a few others.  Our primary goal will be to spread the love of Jesus to those in need around us.  We're still in the formation stages, but know that this is where God is leading.   Reading books such as Crazy Love by Francis Chan, and Radical by David Platt, have only solidified our resolve to live a more "radical" Christian life.  Now we're just looking for more people to join with us.

That's the major happenings in a nutshell.  I suppose more things may come up as I move forward.  I'll fill in the details as I go. 

All in all, 2010 was a year that proved out the name that God gave me for it:  Faithful.  God has shown and continues to show Himself faithful to me.  He also asked me to be faithful.  This doesn't end just because the year did.  It is an ever present condition that I long for.  When 2011 rolled around, I again asked the Lord to name the year for me.  The word I got was Restore.  Here is a scripture I'm hiding in my heart about it.

The Lord will guide you continually,

giving you water when you are dry

and restoring your strength.

You will be like a well-watered garden,

like an ever-flowing spring.

Some of you will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities.

Then you will be known as a rebuilder of walls

and a restorer of homes.

Isaiah 58:11-12 (NLT)

I have plans to update this site and be a lot more regular in posting.  Your grace is always appreciated!
No matter what life may bring, as always, I'll be here, just enjoying the view.