Category Archives: Radical Faith

May6

Shhhh….

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Teri

Teri curly - sm

There is more to being a Christ-follower than head knowledge, doing certain things and not others, and muscling our way to be a good Christian.

There is a thriving, abundant, and beautiful relationship with Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit. You can read more here.

We’re talking about one of the crucial elements of cultivating that type of relationship; listening. I addressed some foundational principles here.

Want to hear from God? I mean, do you really want to hear from God? Really, really?

First, you need to ask.

The best news is He wants you to learn to hear from Him. He wants you to come close. He wants you to know Him. And He wants you to ask Him to help.

Helping people who earnestly seek and try to experience more of Jesus
is one of the specialties of the Holy Spirit.

So, pray, beg, plead for God to help you hear Him.

Second, you need to listen. Be quiet. Practice active listening. Shut the trap and open the ears. Listen to understand not to be understood.

Yep, the same principles that apply to being a good listener to people are the some of the very same principles to use when listening to God. Huh. Imagine that.

“Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.

The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 2:12-16

You say, “How do you do that?”

Okay. Take this scripture passage. Read it. Ask God to teach you what it means through His Spirit. Ask Him to still your mind. Ask Him to open your ears and heart to His truth. Read it again slowly. Then be quiet.

Shhhh… Listen….

If your mind starts its desperate search for entertainment, like so many of our minds do, stop it and get back to active listening.

American minds are sooooooooo OVERSTIMULATED. How long can you go without looking at your phone? How long can you go in silence before you turn on the TV or pull out your iPad? How much silence do you allow in your conversations before filling it with meaningless dribble? How long do you go between checking Facebook?

My friends, God is much more patient than we are. He is timeless. He is not distracted. He speaks, but not at our pace.

When your mind wanders, read a line of scripture, chew on it, mull over it, highlight words that stick out to you, ask God to reveal His truth, then…

Shhhh…. Again I say, listen…

Oh, yeah. Turn off the TV. and your iPod. Turn your focus solely on Jesus Christ and His truth and leave space for Him to talk to you.

You say, “I can’t do it!”

Most people can’t, at least not the first few hundred times they try.

Shhhh…It’s okay…be still…stick with it…you’ll get it..Shhhh…

There is no perfect formula. The way I hear from the Lord might not be the way you best hear from Him. God did that on purpose – so you would call on Him to help and not some pastor, blog, or book.

The God of the universe wants to help you. He wants you to have a vibrant relationship with Him. He wants you to experience more.

So open his Word, read it asking and expecting the Holy Spirit to lead you into all truth, turn off the world and focus on Him, then listen. And when you don’t hear anything, or at least you don’t know if you heard anything, try it again tomorrow and the next and the next and the next.

A year from now, you will be much better at hearing from God. And in ten years, you will be even better still.

Hearing from God is not easy. But it is OH SO worth it.

Now, go practice…shhhhh...

Apr29

Do You Hear What I Hear?

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Teri

Teri in the Tetons

(This post is a bit longer than most. It will be the only one this week so you can chew on it awhile.)

A few posts ago, I contended that our responsibility in walking in deeper relationship with Jesus is three-fold:

  1. SURRENDER
  2. LISTEN
  3. KEEP GOING

I talked about surrender here and here and here.

Today, we’ll talk about listening. So, listen up.

…pregnant pause…

Did you hear anything?

For most of us, we hear stuff all the time; our own voice and the voice of our critics in our heads, the sound of the TV in the background, our phones chiming at us because they want our attention, the whir of the washing machine and refrigerator, the kids yelling in the backyard, and that annoying neighborhood dog that yaps at every person who passes by and sometimes at the wind blowing in the trees.

Is this your world?

There is something so much more. You can hear God’s gentle voice in your heart. You can know his specific leading for your life.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”  Proverbs 3:5-6

There are some who believe the only way we can hear God is through the Holy Scriptures; that the Bible is all we ever need.

I wholeheartedly agree that the Scriptures are best way to hear God. Yes. I’m all over that. I adore His Word. I drink it in, marinate in it, chew on it, and get the most beautiful understanding from it. I pray I never, ever, stray from God’s Word. I pray my fervor for His mighty Word never lessens.

Yet, it doesn’t always help me when I want to know if I should accept a job or not. Or if I should move from Des Moines to Tampa. Or for certain financial decisions.

Frankly, I would rather depend on Holy Inspiration than my own common sense for such decisions.

I believe it takes both the Holy Scriptures and the Holy Spirit to walk in all truth. I think both must be working in tandem; one flowing to the other and back in perfect, divine, harmony to worship in spirit and truth.

I’m not a theologian, but if all we need is the Bible why did Jesus give us His Holy Spirit? Why would we need anything but our own logic and knowledge of his Scriptures? Why did Jesus give us a living helper to reside within us?

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” John 14:26

I believe we can hear the voice of God through the Holy Spirit. More than likely, it will never be an audible voice others can hear. It will be something within you…a stirring, a conviction, a urging, an image, a revelation…something that compels you in the deepest places in your spirit. Something that smacks of the divine that makes you know that God is who he says he is.

“Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls; all your breakers and your waves have gone over me.” Psalm 42″7

Have you ever felt a strong conviction to pray for someone? Or a gentle urging to do something nice for a total stranger? Or a uncommon peace with a certain decision that maybe wasn’t the most logical?

I believe those are just a small sampling of what we can experience when the Holy Spirit speaks. And it will never be contrary to His Word. Both will always be in perfect unison.

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27

I also believe that God actually WANTS to talk with us. He wants more than just a one-way dialog. He longs for us to really know Him, not just know about Him. You can’t do that without deep, intimate, and frequent interactions.

I even contend God wants to be involved with **gasp** daily decisions and daily interactions. Every decision, situation, and interaction offers a chance for God to show His glory, grace, love, and power. I believe God wants us to learn to dialog with Him so that He becomes real and tangible in and through us.

I think the way, the truth, and the life is something more
than just words on a page that Christians
try to practice under their own power.

I heard an interview once with Beth Moore, she said she imagines that the same Word God breathed into existence still has his breath flowing from it. She said that she opens the Scriptures expecting to feel His very breath on her face. She wants to experience Jesus, not just read about Him.

I believe the Scriptures point us to Jesus Christ, they speak of who God is. The Holy Spirit points us to the author, the Living Word who became flesh and dwelt among us.

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12

When we know Him intimately, we are transformed. We are healed, rescued, redeemed, restored, and that kind of love changes us and the world around us.

I know I have a pretty feeble mind, but isn’t that the Living Word being active in and through our lives? 

“The Bible is not an end in itself, but a means to bring men to an intimate and satisfying knowledge of God, that they may enter into Him, that they may delight in His Presence, may taste and know the inner sweetness of the very God Himself in the core and center of their hearts.” A. W. Tozer in The Pursuit of God

What are you hearing?

(Next post, we’ll talk about intentional ways to listen…)

Apr25

Passion Isn’t Lacking In America

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Teri

CAM00022

I know I’m hitting the “passion” drum pretty hard. I also know the passionate pursuit of Jesus opens the door to receiving more.

God is not going to force us. He will wait patiently, calling to us, wooing us to him, and wait some more until we ask. We have to want to seek. We have to want to knock. The louder we knock, the more committed we are, the wider the door swings open.

Passion isn’t lacking in America. I see it at sporting events, at concerts, at political conventions, in heated debates on Facebook. I see it in the the way we choose cars and big screen T.Vs at Best Buy. I see it in our love of Downtown Abbey. In how we yell for our kids at their baseball games. In the way we worship and serve on Sundays. I’m not saying those things are bad.

I am saying most of us have passion toward something. I am saying passion is God-given and natural.

I am suggesting the true and ultimate passion in the inner core of our being is to know and love Jesus.

I am suggesting that “The Way” is a passionate pursuit of anything
that draws us closer to Jesus and a reckless abandonment
of anything that draws us from him.

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:33

Does that mean I have to give up Downtown Abbey? Nope. Not unless it draws you away from Jesus.

My fav show right now is Sherlock (on BBC). When I watch it, I can’t help but think, “Lord God, you created brilliant people.” I can watch it and many other shows and see Jesus in them and through them.

sky-flower1-300x225However, when I watch a show where romance and casual sex collide, it does dark things to my heart. I’m out.

Everyone is different. What draws me to Christ might not draw you to him. I’m kinda a tree-hugger. Nature does splendid things to my heart and brings me life. It comes to others more in their relationships, in seeing a child’s wonder, in a hug.

Until we get our passions in line with how God created us in our inner core, we won’t be satisfied.

Everything in our lives should point us to Christ, and nothing should pull us away.

Now, that’s true passion…

You say, “I can’t do that!” You’re right. But, the Holy Spirit within us can and is passionate about helping us.

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

I’ll leave you with another “more” passage:

“But, as it is written,

“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
    nor the heart of man imagined,
what God has prepared for those who love him”—

these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:9-10

Nothing compares to knowing and loving Jesus. Nothing we can conceive. Nothing we can do. Nothing we can experience.

How much do you want to experience “more” of Jesus in and through your life?

The first step to “more” is to want it passionately.

Apr22

Are These People Crazy?!

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Teri

Teri in the Tetons

I’ve been stuck on the topic of passionate surrender from the last post.

I have a theory…the more passionately we surrender to God’s will, the more of Jesus we’ll experience.

The more passionately we seek, the more we find. The amount we give of all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, is proportional to the amount we receive.

I’m not alone in my opinion.

Moses saw all the wonders of God’s handiwork; plagues, miracles, waters parting, water coming from rocks, manna on the dew and birds from the sky. He saw the very finger of God writing on stone tablets. He stood in Tabernacle where the presence of God rested.

But, it wasn’t enough for Moses. He wanted more.

“And the Lord said to Moses, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.” Moses said, “Please show me your glory.” And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.” Exodus 33:17-19

David couldn’t get enough of the Lord.

“O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.
Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
So I will bless you as long as I live;
in your name I will lift up my hands.”  Psalm 63:1-4

Paul was successful any way you sliced it. His handkerchief healed someone, for goodness sakes. But, nothing…nothing could compare to knowing Jesus.

“But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.” Philippians 3:7-11

rays of sunD. L. Moody, arguably one of the most influential evangelists in history Pastored the biggest church in Chicago, but knew he needed more of Christ to really ignited his work for the Kingdom .

“I was crying all the time that God would fill me with His Spirit. Well, one day, in the city of New York — oh, what a day! — I cannot describe it, I seldom refer to it; it is almost too sacred an experience to name. Paul had an experience of which he never spoke for fourteen years. I can only say that God revealed Himself to me, and I had such an experience of His love that I had to ask Him to stay His hand. I went to preaching again. The sermons were not different; I did not present any new truths; and yet hundreds were converted. I would not now be placed back where I was before that blessed experience if you should give me all the world — it would be as the small dust of the balance.” D. L. Moody

What about Mother Teresa?

“When you look at the inner workings of electrical things, you see wires. Until the current passes through them, there will be no light. That wire is you and me. The current is God. We have the power to let the current pass through us, use us, to produce the light of the world, Jesus, in us. Or we can refuse to be used and allow darkness to spread.” Mother Teresa

C. S. Lewis?

“God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.” C.S. Lewis

I could go on and on and on and on with person after person talking about passionately pursuing Jesus; George Mueller, Corrie Ten Boom, Charles Spurgeon, Jonathan Edwards, Joni Eareckson Tada, Hudson Taylor, Brother Lawrence, Watchman Nee, John Bunyan, Saint Teresa of Avila, Saint John of the Cross, and many others. Read any of their works and they are dripping with “more”.

A. W. Tozer is one of my favorite authors. His life was consumed with helping others seek, pursue, and find more of Jesus.

Take this quote and chew on it for awhile. Marinate in it’s meaning. Ask yourself if you are getting less than what you really want?

“A generation of Christians reared among push buttons and automatic machines is impatient of slower and less direct methods of reaching their goals. We have been trying to apply machine-age methods to our relations with God. We read our chapter, have our short devotions, and rush away, hoping to make up for our deep inward bankruptcy by attending another gospel meeting or listening to another thrilling story told by a religious adventurer lately returned from afar.

The tragic results of this spirit are all about us. Shallow lives, hollow religious philosophies, the preponderance of the element of fun in gospel meetings, the glorification of men, trust in religious externalities, quasi-religious fellowships, salesmanship methods, the mistaking of dynamic personality for the power of the Spirit; these and such as these are the symptoms of an evil disease, a deep and serious malady of the soul.” A. W. Tozer

Are these people crazy? Or is there more fulfillment in Christ than most Christians experience?

And just maybe, “more” will cost us more than a few moments of consideration each day? Just maybe it might involve more than just a comfortably detailed check list of dos and don’ts? Just maybe this “more” that these people experienced starts with something as passionate and crazy as a radical prayer of surrender?

Jesus, I want more of you. I have no idea what that really means or what they really takes. I just know I want it. I know I can’t get more of you on my own. I can’t even manufacture the desire and passion on my own – I need your help for even that. All I know is that my heart says “YES”, even when my flesh is kicking and screaming. Help me. Guide me. Lead me. And draw me closer. I surrender my life to you.

Watch out – radical prayers like just might get you more of “more”.

(We’ll talk about listening in the next post.)

Apr16

Drop Those Nets Like a Hot Potato

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Teri

CAM00022

In the last post, I made the claim that yes indeed, there is more to the Christian walk of faith than boredom and obligation. There is even more than mild contentment and pleasant feelings. There is even more than a comfortably favorable lifestyle and kind witness.

There is more…

It’s sometimes a white-knuckled thrill ride or a death-defying leap into the unknown. Sometimes there’s agonizing heartbreak, many times there’s breath-stealing joy, and once in awhile a jaw-dropping miracle. It’s beautiful, raw, wondrous, difficult, incredible, and powerful.

In other words…FULLY ALIVE.

I’m convinced that there is only three main activities we need to put effort into in order to live a life fully alive in Jesus:

  1. SURRENDER
  2. LISTENING
  3. DILIGENCE

We’ll look at surrender first…

Surrender. When Jesus says, “lose your life to find it”…yeah, he actually meant that. When Paul said, “It is no longer I who live but Christ in me”…yeah, he meant that too.

Your utter, total, compete, and absolute surrender is the key which unlocks the door to “more”. The more passionate we want more of Jesus, the more of “more” we receive. A half-hearted surrender is going to get you a lot of halfsies. I don’t know about you but when I talk about abundant life in Jesus, I want a lot of fullsies.

Someone told me today, “You sit on the fence and all you get is a sore crouch.” Brilliant.

God would have you all in or all out (luke warm water he spits out.) Yet, too many of us sit on that fence, getting sore tushies, wasting time, talents, and money on building our own kingdoms here on earth.

“Well, I gotta pay the bills.” Yes you do. But, are the bills you’re paying the burdens God wants for you? Or are they ones you designed for your own kingdom?

“Well, God gave us common sense. I mean. He wouldn’t ask me to go to Africa or something like that. I have a young family!” God’s been known to do things that go directly against any and all common sense. (Like birthing the Savior of all man kind through a virgin. Like having him born in a stable to the sheep herders looking on. Like sending him to the cross to die. Need I go on…?)

The question really is, if God was calling you to Africa, would you go?

God might ask you to change nothing or everything. You won’t know until you surrender and say, ‘Yes, Lord. I am willing. Scared, but willing even if you send me to Africa.” (Just a side note…most people are not sent to Africa. Most are sent to their very own neighborhoods and workplaces.)

We take the passion temperature by our answer to the “what if God asked you to do *blank*” question (put in your worst “what if”).

  • What if God was calling you to forgive that person?
  • What if God asked you to reconcile with your estranged spouse, parent, sibling, friend?
  • What if God wanted you to wait and not move forward with your plans?
  • What if God wanted you to quit your job?
  • What if God calls you to stay where you are, even when you hate it?
  • What if God asks you to go and you love it where you are?
  • What if God really wants you to give more money away than you feel you can comfortably give?
  • What if God is really a perfectly loving, all powerful, omnipresent, omnipotent, mighty God who loves you beyond your comprehension?
  • What if he knows all the best plans for you and these plans are to prosper you, not to harm you, but to give you hope and a future?

Real and abundant life happen when we go all in,
even when we don’t know what it will mean,
where it will lead,
and how we’re going to get there.

fishing-nets-246477“And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”Immediately they left their nets and followed him.” Matthew 4:19-21

These men had no idea what was going to happen, how they would eat, where they would sleep, how their families would survive without them at the fishing boats each day, but they knew one thing…

They had to follow.

Jesus calls to us, “Follow me.”

Are you still holding the net?

 

Apr8

There Is More

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Teri

CAM00022I had a pretty significant moment with the Lord thirteen years ago.

I had been a Christ-follower for almost twenty years. I went to church regularly, tithed, served, read my devotions each day, taught a Bible study, and pretty much had my religious act together.

Problem was…I was bored out of my mind. Empty. Most of the time my service felt like an obligation. A burden. I  had no idea what joy or peace felt like.

I knew about God, but He felt like a distant cousin I only saw on Christmas and Easter.

I knew His Word , but they felt like dry words on a page and not the Living Word the Bible says it is.

I didn’t talk about it for a couple of reasons:

  1. People thought I had my stuff together . What would they say if they knew I was telling them stuff I wasn’t sure I believed myself? Would I make them stumble?
  2. I figured I was just doing it all wrong. It was my fault somehow and I just needed to work harder, pray harder, go to more Beth Moore Bible studies, attend more conferences, and serve in more areas and THEN my life would be fulfilling.

After another agonizing year of boredom, I did start talking. I started asking people, “Is this it? Is this all?” And, I started making my requests known to God, cause that’s what the Bible tells you to do.

What happened?

I fell apart. People starting thinking I was kinda weird and maybe didn’t have it all together. And, I felt some strange leadings in my heart I never felt before.

I thought they were indigestion, at first. Then I wondered if I really going Jesus coo-coo. And then, I thought I might actually be hearing from God.

WHAT?! God still speaks? NO way.

I thought that kind of thing was just for first century Palestine?

I mean, I had felt urges before, to pray for someone, or to call them to give them a little encouragement. But this…this was just weird.

It was like God was whispering something into the core of my being. It was still vague and fuzzy, but it stirred something in me I didn’t even know existed.

After another year of searching and seeking and asking and knocking (again, that’s what the Bible says to do), I heard THAT voice. I doubt anyone else would have heard it. But, it was as real to me as if someone in the room had spoken. Plain as day, it said,

THERE IS MORE.

Right after that, I read the verses that would forever change me. I had read them dozens of times before, but it was only after that word from the Lord the meaning made it’s way into my understanding.hope

“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21

Far more abundantly…

I can imagine a lot. 

And that’s when I knew. There was more to this walk with Jesus. Much more. I also knew that somehow, someway I was going to have it. If there was indeed more to God than I had experienced, and much more than I could dream up, then I wanted it.

Bring it on. 

This pursuit of more has cost me everything. Sometimes it’s left me in absolute despair. Made me die to all of my selfish ambitions, regardless how noble they were.

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20

And God has given me true life, real, abundant, and joy-filled more than I could have asked or imagined.

It looks nothing like I thought it would. It’s very different, but oh-so-much better than I could have dreamed on my own.

I am so not saying that I’ve arrived at “more” and hang out there. Nope…

There is a war within me that rages. I find too often that the very thing I want to do is the very thing I don’t. Yet…

I know more of “more” than I did thirteen years ago. And, thirteen years from now, I know that I know that I know, I will experience even more of “more” than I do now.

That’s the promise. 

Salvation is a free gift – yours for the taking. 

Knowing the fullness and abundance of Jesus Christ – will cost you everything. 

I believe there are a lot of people out there right now asking the question, “Is there more?” I think it could be more people asking that question than ever before in history.

Yes. Yes. Yes. There is more.

I’ll talk about it in practical ways in the next post.

((Just so you’re not left hanging too much… The first step is to ASK for more of Him. Yep. It’s that easy.))

Oct8

A New(Old) Breed of Missionary

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I had the pleasure of meeting Frank and Rebekah on the very first Dream Tour Summer 2011. And when I say, “pleasure”, I mean it. They are intelligent, grace-filled, fun, and welcoming. They are new breed of missionary (or very old breed depending on how you look at it), or volunteers as they call themselves. They donate their time to Kingdom work while supporting themselves. Wow.

They just embarked on a new season in their lives and moved from Birmingham, Alabama to Ireland to do some amazing work there. Please pray for them as they change the world through their work and mission.

My name is Rebekah Burder and I’m married to Frank. We are Adventures in Missions volunteers living just outside of Kilkenny, Ireland.

We’re responsible for developing relationships between Adventures and local missions contacts, as well as helping out with logistics for trips through the Ambassador, Encounter, and World Race programs. Additionally, we’ll be helping manage and mentor a team of volunteers working in local youth centers.

We moved here about a month ago, and are just starting to learn the culture of this beautiful country.

Our dream has always been the idea of what Paul writes about in Thessalonians. To donate our time to a mission while supporting ourselves. Together, we run our creative agency, D2L Studios. Frank handles graphic design, website development and reputation management.

I am a professional blogger, which includes social media, photography, and writing. Everything we do is able to be accomplished online, which allows us to move internationally without it effecting our finances. We’ve spent about ten years developing these skills specifically for that reason.

We’re passionate about small businesses, mentoring, leadership, and non-traditional types of employment. We are also passionate about debt-free living. Paying off all of our student loans, cars, and credit cards was the very first step we took to free up our future. Our dream is to see this generation do the same. Develop skills that allow them to donate a portion of their time to bring the kingdom to earth. We are also passionate about mentoring young adults as they transition from college to career.

The area where we need prayer the most is for workers. Ireland needs young people who are energized and ready to build up the presence of the kingdom. We’re specifically recruiting for youth workers, who will establish drug and alcohol free youth centers in cities. They’ll need a passion for mentoring and youth.

You can follow us online at www.aheartforthenations.com.

 

Oct5

Just Let Go

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We met up with A.J. at a coffee shop near his home town of Eustis, Florida in January. He was stuck and not moving. He needed some encouragement and a little shove to get going. Now A.J. has the bicycle rolling and is letting God steer. He’s finding his way and finding Abba Father in the process. It’s been so great to watch this man of God coming alive over these past few months.

A.J.

I have two Kingdom dreams I talked about with the Dream Tour ladies last October. The first: to publish a poetry book from my year on The World Race. The second: to see a generation come fully alive in Europe (London, Ireland possible starting points for me).

Both of which I believe are in standby, or what I call “stalled“.

Either way, the past year has looked NOTHING like I thought it would. Instead of traveling more overseas, I traveled stateside.

I went from Kansas City (1 and 1/2  months) to Wisconsin and West Virginia (two weeks each) to somehow ending up in Chicago for the entire summer (after a week-long training session to be a long-term missionary). Now, I’m back in Florida, dealing with the re-entry process all over again.

I cannot say it’s been unfruitful or rewarding, but the experience has definitely been a-pesky-mosquito-under-the-net, in short a frustrating mess.

I’ve learned much about the dreaming process throughout these journeys, but even more so I have learned a LOT about Abba and myself.

Somewhere along the way, He asked me to let go of the dream to go to Ireland for two years. I’m pretty sure my face did a contortion act reminiscent of Picasso’s cubism paintings and to be honest, I was hurt. I thought I had found the place I was meant to go and live life, and I wanted to go as soon as possible. He simply said, “Let it go, son.”

And so, I have had to let go of Ireland and even the thoughts of what it would look like to begin with, as well as the possibility of publishing my poetry book at all, or any semblance of it.

Now, I’m on a simple search for contentment in Him and just being who He created me to be in all aspects of life, regardless of location and circumstance. Though, I am also currently pursuing a chance to go teach English in South Korea at the start of next year to help in the process of paying off student and parent-plus loans on the verge of stealing my sanctity.

The truth is every dream, every desire of our heart

will be a struggle to realize,

a struggle with who we are and who God is to us.

 

Through my journey, I have found Papa faithful and true to His Word. I hold onto such truth in every circumstance, especially with being home with my family all over again (it’s not always pleasant).

I know He will pull through with everything He has promised and one day I will sit in a balcony overlooking the European countryside laughing at all the apparent hardships that once stood as giants.

Check out A.J.’s poetry here. You’ll be blessed.

Aug20

The Best Part of the Job

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Teri

Although I’ve not been out on the road a lot this summer, there have still been many divine encounters. These are brief conversations that are just at the right place at the right time that sparks something in someone.

There was that guy in the gas station in Georgia who needed to know that he was doing all he could in his current situation and that God was pleased. He was tearing himself up with self-doubt.

There was a beautiful lady, Laura, at the lake in Minnesota who needed confirmation that her passion to love on others was truly God-given. And she needed just a little nudge to dream big.

There was the young man at the hamburger joint who was struggling with direction for his life. He needed to be reminded that God indeed has a direction and that he only needs to get his feet moving and then let God steer his path.

I spoke at a tiny church yesterday. Tiny in size only, but big on loving Jesus. I had the honor of talking with several people who’s hearts belong to God. I got an extended, delightful chat with Teresa. She only needed a reminder that God is not looking for her performance or perfection, just her heart – and he already has that. She needed permission to not be afraid of doing it “wrong”.

Teresa, an insightful woman, said something that has been ruminating in my heart. She asked, “So, you just travel all around doing these divine appointments?”

Huh. Yeah. I do.

I wear many hats; I’m a mom, a coach, a writer, and a teacher. I want to see the Body of Believers ignited in their dream journey with Christ.

The best part of the job (other than being a mom to Steven, Leah, and Lily) are those impromptu meetings that happen when I keep my eyes and ears peeled for what God is doing around me.

Wake up each morning and say, “Lord, these are my plans for the day. Feel free to interrupt me at any time. I want to be involved in your plans for my day.”

Then, just look around as you go about the routine. Pray throughout the day. Keep your heart open for that stirring that says, “Go talk to this person.” It doesn’t happen everyday, but when it does, it’s a grand adventure.

It is really that simple. Be interruptable. Give God permission to sidetrack you from your daily routine. People need what God has put in you to give. They need love, joy, peace, encouragement, hope, comfort, and to hear about Jesus. They need what you have.

Are you interruptable?

Aug7

Today…

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Teri

Something’s stirring today.

Something’s happening.

God is on the move in the U.S.

I’m seeing and hearing about it everywhere I go.

So many Christ followers are asking the question, “Isn’t there something more??”

I feel it so strongly today I can hardly…speak…write…think…

Please forgive me  for not having a clearly articulated post. Today, it’s  flowing from my heart of hearts…

I watched this video again. It was released about two years ago. And it ignited my passion for something more all over again.

I went to a church service here in Ham Lake, Minnesota Sunday. The Pastor asked the question, ‘Are you a Christian or are you a Disciple of Jesus Christ?”

His intent was to dismantle some of the negative aspects of the title of “Christian”.

It reflects something too squishy, too soft, too indistinct since it means different things to different people.

Biblically, the people in first century Palestine called themselves, “Disciples” or “Followers of the Way.” Which indicates constant movement, constant growth, and wanting to be defined by our journey rather than our title.  It begs the connotation that we never arrive, but always follow The Rabbi.

Yes…

Our Western culture has done many wonderful things, yet, we are not to be conformed to our culture but transformed by the renewing of our minds to The Way, The Truth, and The Life. And that Way is different than the way of the American Dream.

I was talking to a dreamer this week feels God leading her to start her own business. She’s known it for years but has backed off because of the risk. She had more people telling her all the ways it could fail than she had of people encouraging her to follow where God leads her. Yeah, the road’s been tough and probably will get tougher. Yeah, she’s had to go without a lot. Yeah, she has made mistakes and will make more mistakes. And maybe, just maybe she won’t be “successful” in the way our culture defines it.

But, I already see the life growing within her as she walks in obedience. I see the possibilities of all the people she will help. All the lives she will touch. She has a Kingdom mindset now. She’s looking at things from God’s perspective and trusting Him to never leave or forsake her.

Could it be that she’s supposed to start this business not because God wants her to have a comfortable retirement but because there is only one person she’s supposed to connect with to share Jesus? Maybe one customer who comes to know Christ because she obeyed. Would it be worth it even though she never breaks a six-figure salary?

The risk is great, but the reward is eternal.

That is really the essence of the Gospel.

I mean, we believe in a God who is eternal, omnipresent, omnipotent, and is the Creator of life. We believe that He raises the dead, parts the sea, provides manna and water and meat, and can walk on water. We believe that he impregnated a virgin so that His Son could leave his Heavenly throne and come to earth as a lowly man. We believe that he lived a sinless life, died a martyrs death, and God resurrected him three days later to break the hold of sin and death. And that our belief in him washes ALL our sins clean, assures us eternal life in Heaven, and immediately transforms us through the Holy Spirit into beloved sons and daughters of God.

So… that makes absolute and perfect practical sense, doesn’t it?

God went to SUCH lengths to offer salvation. God so loved us…

And, did God offer us all this just so we could be more comfortable and secure. Or did he extend us such blessing so that we could help bring the beauty of grace, salvation,and redemption to the rest of the world?

I guess what I’m saying is that the cross was not meant as a place where we could stand and look around us saying, “Look at me. Be like me. I’m a Christian and therefore better than you. You need to do these things and not do these things to be a good Christian.”

The cross of Jesus was meant to be a place to kneel and plead, “Come one – come all!  There’s room! There’s room! There’s enough room here for everyone! Jesus is calling to you. His grace is enough for everyone. Please come! I’m begging you – there is room! Oh all glory to God! ”

We’re to be the hands and feet of Jesus, showing what a redeemed life looks like in progress. We’re redeemed and being redeemed each day…TODAY.  In our own flesh, it is impossible, but with God all things are possible. It’s called grace and it’s available to you the same as me. No one can out sin God’s grace – that’s why they call it the Good News.

Our world is splintering at it’s very core. The United States is wounded, lost, and breaking down.

Now is the time to fight with such a radical, furious, grace-filled love that it moves mountains.

It will take sacrifice on our parts. It will take us being anti-cultural. It will take surrender to all God is and asks of us. It will cost everything. But, it will give more than we could ever ask or imagine.

What is God stirring inside you today?

Does your life reflect redeeming grace being lived out each day?

If not, I’m here to tell you…there is more! Jesus is more!

“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”  Ephesians 3:20-21