It's A Family Thing

15 years ago I married a Greek. Little did I know how much my life would change. You see, when you marry someone who is Greek, you don’t just marry a  man, you marry into a family and a culture. 

When we first got married, I knew very little about what that meant. I had been exposed to some of it while we were dating but, that was just scratching the surface. Over the years, I’ve learned how to cook Greek food, and I am learning how to read and speak the language (slowly). I’ve learned about the celebrations and because we visit Crete regularly, I know how to find my way around, ask for things (in Greek) and I understand a little about the culture…what’s important to them, what’s not. I’ve learned that while I am there I have to change the way I do things because the way I do things in America, are done differently in Crete. I’ve learned mannerisms and nuances…..like this slight nod people (at least my family) do which means “no.” (Who knew a nod could mean no?) I have stories; some funny, some not so funny, of me learning all this stuff.

Recently, it occurred to me that this transformation of being Greek by marriage is similar to becoming a Christian. When you first get to know Jesus, you start out not knowing anything about being a Christ follower. The things you care about are different. The activities you do don’t seem to be in line with where you are going. Sometimes, it feels like you don’t fit in - like you are an outsider. 

As you spend more time with Jesus each day, you begin to learn things. You adopt different habits, talk about different things, what you care about shifts. You begin to identify with Jesus and what he cares about. There are stories, both funny and not so funny, that happen along your journey. 

One of the blessings that I had when I got married was an amazing Greek family  that helped me. They showed me things; taught me to cook (thanks Mom), explained different traditions and nuances, corrected my pronunciations of words and most importantly, loved me. I never felt like an outsider. 

Hopefully, as you walk with Jesus and learn about Him and His “unforced rhythms of grace”, you have a Christian family that will help you do the same. A family that will walk with you on the journey, always include you, share Jesus with you with their love and actions and help you feel included.

If you don’t have this….go find it. It makes the journey so much easier. The journey with Jesus is supposed to be full of ease and grace. (See Matthew 11:20-30 MSG). We aren’t supposed to walk this alone. It’s always about the relationship with Jesus. The relationship with Him and with the people you call “family”. Super important when you are learning to live this new life and even more important after you’ve been on the journey for a while. We all need each other to grow.

There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that “the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears.” Philippians 1:3-6 (MSG) Find someone to walk it with and lean into the grace that helps you keep walking. 

Let Me Introduce You.....

We loved you so much that we shared with you not only God’s Good News but our own lives, too. 1 Thessalonians 2:8 (NLT)

What do you think would happen if I walked into the room, walked up to two complete strangers and said “Let me introduce you”? They didn’t know me, I didn’t know them and they had no clue why they would want to know each other. I think they would be polite (maybe), walk away, think I was crazy and never speak to each other (or me) again.

We’ve been processing what it looks like to plant a disciple making church. The thing is, it looks really different than how most churches get planted. I won’t go into all that here but the big thing is you have to be a disciple yourself. You can’t introduce someone you don’t know to someone you don’t know and expect anything to come of it.

So what are the first steps? You need to know Jesus. Personally, intimately and currently. Let me share another analogy. Say I have a ton of head knowledge about Abraham Lincoln. I am an expert in the facts about his life. I’ve read tons of books, given speeches and written about him. I walk into a room and his wife is there. Who would know him better? His wife, of course! She knew all about him because she lived with him. She knew who he really was inside and out. And who better to tell stories about him and share him? It’s the same with Jesus.

In order to share Jesus, not just the Jesus you read about, but the Jesus who IS, you have to spend time with him, know his heart, what he thinks, what motivates him. You’ll have stories about him because you’ve lived life together and shared experiences. You’ve seen him for yourself (Job 42:5)

The second thing we do on a regular basis, is try to share Jesus with complete strangers. Yes, sometimes God calls us to do this but most of the time, he wants us to be living life with people. He wants us to be present, sharing in the ups and downs and loving each other. He wants us to be invested and to really care about the people we are discipling. He wants them to see Jesus in our lives, not just hear about him from our words.

Even if you know Jesus and you know your friend, introducing Jesus to someone needs to be bathed in lots and lots of prayer. We, especially in the Western world, want to do things quickly and efficiently. We want to check the box. Discipleship isn’t like that. Building relationships is never a quick process. It is intentional and it takes time.

Why am I sharing this? Because my prayer for us post COVID is that we assess what our lives are all about. Let’s not get back to business as usual. Let’s lean into the plan Jesus laid out when he was here. Live life with people; sharing, caring and growing all throughout the ups and downs with those God has placed in our lives. When we do that, Jesus, in all his glory, will shine through. Not because we awkwardly introduced him but because he is a part of who we are.

Listen

For God does speak—now one way, now another—
    though no one perceives it.
In a dream, in a vision of the night,
    when deep sleep falls on people
    as they slumber in their beds,
he may speak in their ears
    and terrify them with warnings,
to turn them from wrongdoing
    and keep them from pride, Job 33:14-17 (NLT)

Eunice texted me and asked if I had heard from Kathy. It had actually been a while since any of us had heard from Kathy. Months probably. Kathy attended weekly Bible Study with us and was a new believer in Jesus. Her job had become very demanding and she couldn’t join any more. Then, the Bible Study group morphed into the Church Plant (Called2Be) and we lost track of her.

Eunice said that she’d been thinking about her and reached out but got no response. Funny thing was I was thinking about her too. God put Kathy on both of our hearts. So at Eunice’s prompting, I reached out as well. Kathy responded. She is now joining Called2Be’s weekly Bible Study. Do you think God was speaking to Eunice and me? I do.

God speaks to us in so many different ways. Sometimes, it is in an impression. Sometimes in a conviction. I’ve had Him speak to me in dreams. And I know other people have experienced Him in circumstances or visions. He definitely speaks to us through His Word and through each other. 

Question is, are we listening? Do we really believe that He speaks and are we intent on hearing what He has to say? And the follow up question to that is when we hear him, do we obey?

I get impressions that I know are God. A lot of times these are things I am being told to do that I don’t want to do.  That’s how I know it’s Him. I know that sounds odd but when I feel convicted to do something I don’t want to do, I know it’s not me. 

Other times I’ll get impressions that are just off-the-wall. For example, yesterday I had the impression that I was supposed to go to BJs (warehouse type store). I didn’t need anything from BJs. I had no reason to go but all morning the thought kept popping into my head. So I went. Nothing happened. I walked around the store a couple of times with my cart. Went to look for some things that I knew I wanted to buy to see if they had them (they didn’t). 

Was God in that impression? Should I have gone to BJs? I’m not an expert at hearing God’s voice but here is what I’ve learned. When I think it’s Him but I’m not sure, I follow what I am hearing. Here’s why. There have been times I didn’t follow and I realized later it was God trying to get me to do something. There were times I did listen and I could see his fingerprints all over the situation. (I love it when that happens.) Personally, I’d rather follow and not know on what’s going on rather than miss out on a God experience altogether. Notice I said “not know what’s going on?” That’s because I know from experience that just because I can’t see what He’s doing, it doesn’t mean He isn’t doing something. He is always doing something. I just can’t always see it.

What’s the take away? God is always speaking to his children through many, many methods. The way He speaks to me is going to be different than the way He speaks to you. One thing though that we all need to do is listen. Listen intently to hear what he’s saying. Carve out time to hear Him without a lot of distractions. And when you hear him, obey.

So today, if you come across a talking donkey on the side of the road, don’t pass by thinking “that’s crazy.” Stop and talk to the donkey. You never know how God is going to show up.

You

O Lord, I will honor and praise your name,
    for you are my God.
You do such wonderful things!
    You planned them long ago,
    and now you have accomplished them. Isaiah 25:1 (NLT)

Father God —
You are to be adored. Why?
Because You are mighty.
More captivating than a lion’s roar.

Father God —
I stand in awe
I want to see Your power
I want to feel Your strength
Yet, I want to know that I am safe.

Father God —
In You is more might
than all the world’s armies
In You is more force
than a massive explosion

But also in You is gentleness
patience and compassion
Your purpose is always
to teach us how to love You
Your intent has always been
for our good…for our salvation

You, Father God, are bigger
than I can get my arms around.
You are more than I can fathom

Honestly, You can be a little scary
but You are always a safe place.
You are always good.

I lift my arms in praise
while at the same time I bow low
before You.

Father God —
Take this child
I am not sure what to do with You
Hold me tight while You set me free.
Free, to be what I want to be
Wholly Yours

Everything

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.” Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Matthew 16:13-16 (NLT)

“Who do you say I am?” This is a question we must all answer at some point. Notice Jesus asked them what everyone else thought and then he made it personal. Because it is personal. Who you know Jesus to be is the most important thing you will ever decide.

Some would answer “He’s my Savior.” This is true.

Some would answer “He’s the Son of God.” This is also true.

Some will throw out fancy titles like “He’s the Sacrificial Lamb. He’s the Bright and Morning Star.” All of these are true.

But I don’t think that Jesus wants to know what we can verbalize. We can all talk a good game. I think He wants to know what’s in our hearts. I think He wants to know who we, deep down where no one can see, think about Him.

I was having a conversation with someone a little while ago that I can’t get out of my head. I was talking about something and I said “The focus has to be Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.” And the person said “What about love?” I’ll be honest, this question shocked me. How can you have Jesus and not have love? Who was Jesus to this person?

I keep thinking about that conversation. You see, I think we give platitudes to Jesus. I think we try to say all the right things but I don’t think He’s real enough to us. Who exactly do we think He is? It’s almost like we see him as a figurehead that has no real impact or control on our lives. That’s not what He wants.

Jesus wants to be our Everything. What does that look like? There is nothing that He doesn’t control; there is nothing in our lives that are not His; there is absolutely nothing we would not give up for Him or offer Him. We are so filled with love for Him that it drives and motivates everything we do.

So let me ask you. Who do you say He is? If He is not your Everything, you are missing out on the greatest joy you’ve ever experienced. Spend some time really getting to know Him - personally. It will change the way you see…well….Everything.  

Being

He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach Mark 3:14 (NIV)

Jesus came to this world to show us a better way. He came to reveal God to us. He came to a world that had religion so defined, there was no joy. There were lists upon lists of things to do. Everything was about what you were doing, how you were doing it and if you were doing it well enough.

And here we are today, somehow doing the same thing.

Jesus spent an entire night in prayer before he called the disciples (Luke 6). He was talking to and listening to His Father before he made this huge decision. I am sure there was some wrestling. I wonder if there was a lot of discussion about Judas. I wonder how he prayed over each and every person that was being considered. I wonder if he discussed their strengths and weaknesses. Gosh, I would love to hear that prayer so I could learn how to pray with the heart of Jesus.

He came off the mountain and offered the invitation to these men. But notice, he didn’t invite them to hone their skills. He didn’t invite them to use their gifts or work on their weaknesses. He didn’t even gift them a task at first. Mark says “he appointed the twelve that they might be with him.”

Before he sent them to preach, they needed to be with him. Before they were to cast out demons and heal the sick, they needed to spend time with him, learning who he was….who God was. They needed to live life together to see how his Kingdom worked. They would watch him love on people, speak into their hearts, heal them and lead them to God.

It was only after that, only after experiencing who he was, that they could even think about their calling.

Each one of us has been invited. We have been invited to “be with him.” Do we have gifts to use? Yes. I know lots of gifted people. Jen, is great at organizing things. Steve is amazing at orchestrating the flow of events. Roni is so creative when teaching children. There are so many people with extraordinary abilities. But that is not what Jesus wants from us first. First, he wants us to spend time with him. He wants our hearts. Nothing else matters.

When we spend time with him first, then and only then, are we able to truly live the life we are called to live. Only then will we make an impact in our world for his glory. Being a Christian is more about being than doing. Spend some time with Jesus just being. The doing will come. But when it does, it will be born from your heart, not your to do list.

All In

Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am. Send me.” Isaiah 6:8 (NLT)

I’ve been thinking about Isaiah lately and this verse. Isaiah’s ministry was not easy. He had to go to a corrupt nation and tell them they were corrupt and they needed to change how they did things. He predicted their destruction. He predicted that nations would conquer them and to make matters worse, they thought these nations were more evil than they were. It wasn’t an easy job. Imagine trying to do this today?

But I don’t think Isaiah looked at that when he volunteered. He came face to face with the Holy One of Israel and he was changed. You see, when you come face to face with Jesus, when you get to know him and understand deep in your soul what he has done for you, something happens to you. In the depths of your being you are changed and suddenly, the things you thought were important aren’t important any more. The things you focused on become blurry and the things God wants you to see become prominent.

There is a pull inside you that draws you to a different list of accomplishments, to a different set of values, to a different definition of success. And while you know that this definition will not resonate with most people, it’s okay. Because you no longer want to satisfy anyone else but God.

This is what happened to Isaiah when he came face to face with the Holy One of Israel. He had no choice but to volunteer because he was so overcome with who God was, nothing else mattered. This is still happening. All around there are people who are saying to Jesus, “I’ll do anything. Send me.”

This is what discipleship is all about. It is not about a technique. It is not about a program. It is not about trying something new because you are tired of the old. It’s about digging deeper into your relationship with Jesus because you know there is so much more to this life than what you thought. It’s about being so overcome with love for Jesus that you say “Here I am. What do you want me to do? Send me.”

Actually Alive

During the forty days after he suffered and died, he appeared to the apostles from time to time, and he proved to them in many ways that he was actually alive. And he talked to them about the Kingdom of God. Acts 1:3 (NLT)

I can’t help but wonder when reading this verse what he did to prove to them that he was actually alive. The verse says he proved this to them in many ways. Just in case they didn’t get it the first or second time? Just in case one way convinced one person but another person who saw things differently didn’t notice? Maybe they were distracted during one proof so he did it again. Did he want to make sure they all got it so he showed them in many different ways? Again. And again.

That is so like Jesus. He shows up to each and every one of us in many different ways. There is not one way to know him. There isn’t a right way or a wrong way. Every time we experience Jesus is a good time. Every glimpse we see that he is alive and well, is a proof.

In my life, what moves me to know that he is alive, may not move you. And what you see as concrete evidence may not even be on my radar. Each of our relationships with Jesus is unique. Every time he speaks to us, shares with us, moves us forward is personal. It is a gift that he gives us every single day. Again. And again.

And I bet, just like he talked to the disciples about the Kingdom of God during those 40 days….I bet he’s talking to us about the same thing. Question is, are we listening?