Friend's and Friend's of Friend's

Please read Pete’s response to me first (here) before reading what I have shared here with him.

Pete,

I so love your heart, it so exalts the one who is our Life! A friend of mine once said, “I know God is no respecter of persons, but maybe He is a respecter of hearts”

As far as my ‘former ministry,’ looking back, what I now see was my trying to be someone something other than whom He had purposed for me to Be, and without a revelation of His unconditional total love for me this could have easily turned into a greater nightmare than it already was.
Prior to Him burying us, my wife and family and I alive, I was rich in some of the most incredible experiences a person could encounter, and that all followed my very powerful and dramatic re-birthing.

The day before I was (euphemistically) ‘let go’ from the ministry, I along with my fellow colleagues were together in one of our weekly staff meetings, I won’t bore you will all of the details, suffice it to say, when we opened up in prayer, I was immediately aware of the Lord wanting to show me something, so I mentioned this to the others as we were praying, they encouraged me to go further into seeing where this might lead to.

What followed was almost like something from a science fiction movie.
You have to understand what was unfolding before me although wild; I was use to encounters like this, only this was far different.
In my spirit I saw Jesus in a shadowy silhouette approaching me and as He got closer I could see/make out he was holding a communion chalice, and it being filled to the brim. He was not saying anything with his lips, yet I could hear His words in my heart.
He motioned that this cup he held was for me, and somehow I knew that I could receive it and drink it or I could say no thanks, and somehow I knew His love for me would be the same.
I could see in His eyes/heart a love for me that was so foreign to anything I had thus far experienced, I choose to symbolically reach out and take this chalice/cup from him under No compulsion, putting it up to my lips, and drinking it all.
Then for the first time He spoke to me, and this is where it gets wild, He says, “I now give you permission to enter into the fellowship of my sufferings.”
The next day I was called into the senior pastors office to be informed, I was being let go~yikes.

This set into motion my being brought into what I call, ‘the school of the spirit,’ I was being brought into a living encounter with the One who had called me to BE His, not a call to be someone apart from Him. When I was let go from the ministry, I was not only being stripped of my many colored coat, much like Joseph was, but SO much more. We were living in a postage stamp sized house, renting it, why, because we lost Everything, another story to be shared another time.

I slowly began to see and learn of a Father that was smitten by me, this was unfathomable to my thinking, but He had my attention big time.
As I learned and am learning of His love, I have been awakened into an understanding of His grace that is so transforming my life, I no longer resemble the person I was for so long, even as ‘a Christian.’
I dare anyone to ask my wife and my kids as they are able to cut to the chase and speak the Truth re: this progressive ongoing transformation in my heart, thoughts, words and actions.

Pete my dear brother, there is so much I could share, but won’t right at this time, only to encourage you as you have done to me. You are such a priceless and vital living expression of His hearts purpose and to us His body, and for that reality I say, thank you Papa!
I love your rambling please never stop, many would be greatly refreshed and encouraged of His spirit living in Pete, as Pete.

Rich

Sharing Life

Every summer ever since we moved into our new neighbourhood three years ago, usually in July we get together for a block party/meal/get together.
It is always a wonderful time to say the least. I always go away so deeply impacted by the wealth of richness each and every one of these dear people has experienced in their individual lives, and how that spills out into our conversations over a pot luck meal lovingly shared together.
On a surface perusing you would simply miss out on the wealth of how they have been shaped through the good, bad and ugly of every day living.

Somehow in our once a year get together it never seems to be an issue of detailing our identity’s, ‘what do you do.’ It’s more of a free flow melding of enjoying life and freely sharing it amongst each other.

I'm use this illustration to point to something just as important that has bothered me for some time.
Much of my reading, interacting is with fellow family and friends those outside of the institutional settings, not saying that connecting with those still in the institutional settings is not possible, but! More often than not any sharing that would take place is usually a channeling of what their Priest, Pastor, or Rabbi has said that usually eclipses anything that they would ever think or feel as being meaningful or important.

I so want to try and get this out where I can see what I’m trying to say, as I see it being most important.
Why is there in the minds of so many this groupie, personality worship thing anyway? Meaning, is it not the same Spirit, Life, Seed, Christ in all who have been reborn, then what makes one life more important than another simply because one has a prefix of Dr, Reverend, or Pastor before their name?
What are they afraid of, is not simply being one of the guys enough for them? Is there a ‘status’ bestowed on them that exceeds what we all have in Christ?

If we are to NO longer know anyone after the flesh, even those as Paul said who walked with the Christ as Jesus of Nazareth, we are to no longer relate with one another in this worldly manner.
Please hear my heart if you dare, I love reading, listening to pod casts etc, but in my doing so I am simply hearing, listening to the voice of my Father expressing Himself uniquely through these people no differently than those who have NO callings, anointing, podiums to promote their weekly pod casts, books or seminars or webs sites.
Unfortunately as my wife shared in my last blog entry it seems that it is a given when the name of a certain individual is dropped, it appears to be synonymous with God himself speaking, rather than the Father uniquely speaking, sharing His heart through His body which IS the Church!

I love seeing and hearing how the Father of our spirits is making Himself ever so real, causing such a vibrant living reality to be theirs without any need to acknowledge any one other than the Father himself working through a myriad of ways. I am thrilled we can learn of the Father through anyone and not just through the ‘pedigreed professionals.’

“And I will build my Church”!

Rich

It's Not Happening

Where there is a will, there is a way.
That adage has many spin offs attached to it, good and bad. I do believe there is a will and a way, not my way or your way (the right vs. the wrong way) but His way, aka Jesus~the Way! His will and Way work harmoniously together and needs none of my suggestions or assistance. He may indeed be the Ancient of Days, and it may appear that He has not put me on hold but in fact, has He forgotten all about me.
I love overhearing my boss (friend) saying from time to time while on the phone, 'you can put me on hold, but please don't put me on forget'!

Getting back to His 'way', there will never be a harmonious marriage between that which is born of the flesh and that born of the spirit. This is clearly highlighted in different places by the apostle Paul. Loosely paraphrased; 'even though one may be re-birthed, as long as the mind-set is on/of the flesh, the things of God will be utter foolishness to them, and to all intent and purposes could be perceived as merely a natural man without the Spirit.'

The foolishness of God causing the so called wisdom of man to be seen for what it is, an illusion. For i.g. 'The Prince of Peace says, "I have NOT come to bring peace but a sword, and I will BE the source of division and that reality will be visibly seen within the family unit."
"I've come to start a fire on this earth—how I wish it were blazing right now! I've come to change everything, turn everything right side up—how I long for it to be finished! Do you think I came to smooth things over and make everything nice? Not so. I've come to disrupt and confront! From now on, when you find five in a house, it will be— Three against two, and two against three; Father against son, and son against father; Mother against daughter, and daughter against mother; Mother-in-law against bride, and bride against mother-in-law."

I wanted to jot down a few of my own thoughts and tie them in hopefully with what Tina shared on her blog dealing with a very similar thought.

Rich

And then God had Abram waiting. A long time. And Sarai, his wife, started thinking maybe it was time to make something happen. So she told Abram in Genesis 16, "The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her."

Do you see how we take God’s promise of connection with fellow believers, and if we don’t see it happening, we take matters into our own hands? Perhaps I can build a family through…. my own works.

"And God let them go ahead with that plan, but it didn’t work too well. Ishmael, the child of the slave girl, became the father of descendants "too numerous to count," but they were not God’s chosen people. Finally when Abram was NINETY-NINE YEARS OLD, God said it was time. And Sarai laughed at God. Oh, now you’re going to tell me that it’s time for me to bear a child? Now? Do you know how long it’s been since…

Sometimes we might have to wait for our expression of God’s promise, in this case fellowship. Don’t be nervous. Don’t be concerned what they say about you. Don’t settle for the slave child, for Pete’s sake. Let’s keep reminding ourselves that a real move of God is worth waiting for".

We are in Jesus

Is It Here Yet

Christmas time, just about to happen again, just two more working days-whew.
Its been as usual, a pretty busy time for us posties delivering all of those wonderful Christmas cards and parcels to our customers.

I find Christmas time to be a mixed bag emotionally for me, but I do look forward to the time off, even if its just for two days.
Our daughter is coming home for the holidays tomorrow (along with her friend), we haven't seen her since this summer, its been a very busy time for her this semester at University.
We are so proud of this young lady, and seeing how the Lord in His way is guiding her and making Himself known to her.

It may end up being a busier Christmas than we had anticipated, as our son will now be with us as well. Initially he was going to be leaving Christmas day to go to San Francisco, but that fell through. One of his room mates might be coming over as well, since his parents broke up and his father moved back to Poland. Also a co-op high school student that helps my wife with her children at school, was invited by my wife to come over for Christmas as well if she wanted to. She is going through a very rough time in her life, so much family turmoil happening all around her.

It is a magical time of year for sure, a time and a season for all things.

I love finding just the right picture to hang my blog entries on, and the thought hit me, why not take a picture of a recent picture my precious wife painted and use it. In my opinion it is one of her finest she has done yet.

Rich