A ministry of "Being there . . . ." Thank you!

After I wrote my “help me,” article ( and please excuse the pity-party) I got some very kind and insightful responses.  It’s a challenge – at least weekly – to keep plugging on amid all the vain, egotistical and the valid questions/issues that present themselves.  Oh yeah, vanity my dear sneaky and irritating friend. 

BUT where I seem to always end up is looking back and asking, “what if I had not been there?”  This is not an ego thing – it’s not about “ME” it’s about having been there to do what He gave me to do.  It’s is about availability.  When I felt the call to serve my Aunt gave me a Bible and in it she wrote, “The inexhaustible supplies of God are available to the man who is available to the inexhaustible supplies of God.”  It’s interesting as I grope my way out of the doldrums to look back on how often I found myself unavailable and how the supplies were either not to be found or more dangerously, not from Him.

In both my “labors” people often tell me, “You’d be a great – this or that,” and I appreciate it.  But I know (although vanity makes me forget) that knowing myself better than they do – I really wouldn’t make a great, this or that.  I can only be a (great???) me.  Oh, I’d be good at many things – but only for a time.  History (mine) seems to demonstrate that when I follow another path I, well, get lost easily and quickly only to find myself right back where I was – right where I am.

I know a lot of you have the same struggle.  Somehow the thought, I ought to be  “X” or I wish I was “X” gets in your head.  You make a change and head that way and “BAM,” you find yourself somewhere you don’t want to be doing something you don’t want to do – even if it’s a good place you’re in or a good thing you’re doing, you know it’s not YOUR place or His place for you.

It’s not uncommon to find ourselves wanting better or wanting more, especially when it comes to respect and kudos, recognition yeah, and money.  At least I know it’s not for me.  But I have to keep banging my head to remember that being faithful in little does not mean you’re supposed to or will get much to be faithful with.  I wonder if little isn’t what I’m best at being faithful in and that much would be dangerous.

For those of you I’ve had the wondrous privilege of serving, I want you to know that I would not exchange that opportunity for anything.  I appreciate your acknowledging His using me in your lives BUT maybe I need to make it clearer how He has used you in mine and Patti’s.  Every opportunity to care for every single sheep has made our lives fuller and more secure.

You see, talking with you about your “stuff” exposed ours.  The exposure of our “stuff” leads us to Him.  I hope this doesn’t sound bad but the best advice I ever got was advice I gave you.  Come on, how many of you have quoted me back to me and shut me up?  Had YOU not been there I would never have been in a place, at a time, to deal with a particular issue.  He brought me there through YOU!  Thank you.

I need, I think, to learn better how to despise the “other master” that messes with my head.  I need to learn to not ask, “Why don’t I XXXX?” in terms of ministry and rather ask “Why do I  XXX?”  I do XXX under his sovereignty.  Hello?!?!?!?!?!?

Thank you all for your responses.  The smack on the head and the e-hugs were blessings.

So where am I now?  Right where I need to be.  I want to be part of His inexhaustible resources that are available to those who are available – and in need.

Available – to Him and to His – in the manner He has made me.

I love this quote – and really ought to get it tattooed so I quit forgetting it:

“I am not what I ought to be, I am not what I want to be, I am not what I hope to be in another world; but still I am not what I once used to be, and by the grace of God I am what I am”    ― John Newton

Another –

He drew a circle that shut me out —

Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.

But Love (GOD) and I had the wit to win:

We drew a circle that took him in.

Thank you all for your insights and encouragements.  I know you know we all have those moments (or days or weeks or months) when we question and wonder, “What if?”

I appreciate your being patient with mine!

Michael

Sr. Sheepdog  ;-}

William Bridge (1600s) wrote in his book, A Lifting Up for the Downcast:

“Be sure you understand your comforts rightly. Be not mistaken in them. Labor to distill and refine your comforts. As there was a mixed company came out of Egypt, which set the Israelites a murmuring, so there is a mixed company thqat comes with your comforts. Everfy creature is born into the world with some filth. When you have comfort. Labor to find out and separate the dross and filth; put away that mixed company.”

Eph 5:10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.

The context of Eph. 5 addresses the concerns of brother Bridge. We are not to have anything to do with the darkness. But it is so easy – isn’t it?

What comforts you? What pleases, entertains, inspires or gives you rest? Who comforts you? Who gives you pleasure and a sense of worth?
One way to discover this is to ask, “What, when it or they are unavailable distresses me?” “What potential loss or disappointment disturbs me comfort?”

Or, more importantly, “Does what comforts me honor God and reflect my gratitude for His grace?”
This is a tough thing to do. The old Puritans were tough people – tough for the Lord. They encouraged what they called, the mortification of the flesh. That is the commitment to kill the old nature by intention, examination and an active surrender to the will of God.
Paul alludes to this when he writes:

1Co 3:3 for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?
1Co 9:27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
Gal 3:3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?
What makes you laugh? Lots of things – right? But do you examine it closely to see if the casue of your laughter honors God?

Now before you get all flustered and upset keep in mind that what Paul says:

Rom 6:12-13 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. (13) Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.

“Let not . . . .” “Do not present . . . .”

We need very little help in identifying gross sin. It’s the subtle culturally acceptable sin that we have to hunt down and wring out. Especially those subtle sins which bring us comfort.

My favorite illustration is, of course, TV. Patti and I used to watch the show, The Gilmore Girls. It was cute and funny and, well a comfort just to sit and watch after a long day.
But we began to notice that the subtle messages of the show were about as sinful as they could get. Sin, encouraged in a nice, cute, “clean,” manner. The show had no moral base and the character’s moral positions were utterly subjective.

But the show was “innocent.” Innocent? Hardly. It offered a picture of sin with acceptable consequences. Sin that had no need of redemption.

If you watch an X rated movie you know it’s wrong. The G Girls however had no nudity or explicit sex – it just assumed it and assumed it was OK. Oh, it was “real life” in all its degeneracy and hopelessness but it was cute and funny and entertaining.

I’m not NOT encouraging you to go on some witch hunt. Remember:

Jas 3:2a For we all stumble in many ways.
Rom 6:6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.
Rom 6:17 But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed,
Rom 7:11 For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me.

Sin is a reality in our lives but we are not slaves to it. Sin has power but it has no power over us. We can yield to it but it cannot conquer us.

But, not being engaged by gross sin, we tend to take our ease. All the while the dross mixed into our comforts stunts our growth in Him.
What do we have to lose in examining our comforts and refining them, removing the subtle sinfulness to be found there? We have nothing to lose that is of any value and much of great value to gain.
Pray that the Spirit will begin this work in your heart and mind, leading you to question and examine your comforts for that which is false. Pray the Spirit will enable you to sense and see all that is no in accord with God’s desire for you.
Php 4:8-9 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (9) What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me--practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

The DANGERS of Home Schooling - EXPOSED !!!!!!

Well, somebody had to say it so I finally decided I would.  

Here are a few of the real dangers of Home Schooling:

• You begin to think pajamas are real clothes.
• You actually have discussions with Mom and Dad.
•   Quality time is a tsunami.
• You learn to take personal responsibility for your responsibilities.
• You begin to think pajamas are really clothes.
• You learn to manage your time and your efforts.
• You learn to questions so called “authorities” in a wide range of subjects.
• You learn how wonderful curiosity is.
• You discover you’re a real person with real value and great potential.
• You may end-up successfully self-employed in a meaningful career.
• You may miss out on being bullied.
• You can really discover both your true limits and your true potential.
• You begin to think pajamas are real clothes.
• You actually learn to work with and value your siblings.
• You learn to discover.
• You miss out on being force fed culturally mandated hooey.
• You learn to answer your own questions.

These are just a few of the real dangers of home schooling.  
Think long and hard about them.  Is this the kind of children we want growing up and running the world?

More dangers later.