So What is Really Important

A few years ago one of my daughters and I watched a movie together.  It was, as she calls it, a RomCom, that is a Romantic Comedy.  I have forgotten the title.  The plot involves a young woman who met a very nice young man while traveling.  As they were together the fellow asked her a question, "If you were in your apartment and the building fire alarm sounded, what would you pick up to take with you on your way out ?" Later in the plot she was in that exact situation.

This morning I face my last 24 hours before I leave for the airport expecting not to return home for at least 4 months.  My desk is piled high still with little tasks that are yet to be done.  Realistic thinking says it is not possible to complete them all.  So, when the alarm sounds tomorrow and I walk out the door, which should be completed and which should be left undone ?

Jesus talked of a wealthy farmer who was tearing down old barns and building new ones.  Jesus implied the man was foolish because he had not considered the possibility of his own death that night.

Your death, your home burning down, your departure on a long trip, even just your going to sleep tonight; these all involve making choices about what is really important to have done.

Some one of those many self help writers for business people published a little book I read years ago about the "Tyranny of the Urgent".  His point was, we often make very poor decisions when we allow the things that seem to be a crisis to move our focus away from the things that are important.  When I was a United States Coast Guard officer, I shared an office will a Lieutenant Commander who oft repeated a bit of wisdom, "When you are up to your hips in alligators, it is hard to remember the initial objective was to drain the swamp."

As you are reading and thinking about these things, I hope you are not afraid of some real crisis looming over you.  But, big crisis or no crisis the priorities you are following in your life are going to see some things done and some left undone.  So who is setting those priorities in your life ?  What are they based upon ?

For many people, sadly, their priorities are based upon their addictions.  For alcoholics - how can I get my next drink ?  For workaholics - how can I conquer my next project ?  For religionoholics - when can I get to my next meeting or watch my next on-line service ?  For many other people, sadly, their priorities are set by the people around them.  What will the next demand from my child require ?  What do the people at the office expect ?  How can I get my hair done, buy the right clothing, create the right appearance ?  For many people, sadly, their priorities all revolve around themselves.  What will make me: richer; more powerful; more beautiful; more comfortable; et cetera.

For a few people, and, alas, they are very few, their priorities are based on what God is saying to them.  Some priorities based on the eternal principles God has revealed.  (Love your enemies, for example.)  And some priorities based on the day by day, moment by moment, instructions the Lord speaks into ones life.  (Call your friend Juan; Stop and talk with that man; Wake up and pray for Susan; for example.).  

So, what are the most important things for you ?  What are your priorities based upon ?  It is a very worthwhile exercise from time to time to sit down and think through these things and talk them through with people you trust.

His, thus Yours,

  Stuart

Memorial Day

Good Morning, I have my second cup of coffee.  Today is a national holiday in the United States; Memorial Day portends to be a day to remember the people in our history who have given their lives to protect our freedoms and our way of life.  In most of our minds, however, it is the day that signals school is almost over, summer weather begins, swimming pools open, and the outdoor grill is put into action.  

Most people seem to have difficulty remembering the sacrifices made by others on our behalf.  Whether we are thinking about soldiers killed in battle or about Jesus crucified on a cross, the typical attitude can be summed up as, "Well yes He paid the price for me; but, what has He done for me today ?"  However, there are two obvious exceptions to this typical attitude.  

The first exception occurs among the immediate family and intimate friends of the one who was killed.  The mother who lost her heroic son to an enemy's bullet never forgets.  The best friend or fiancée or widow of the slain warrior never forgets.

The second exception is among those who fought alongside the one who took the bullet.  Whether your compatriot was killed by the enemy or by friendly fire or even just by accident, when you know it could have been you, you just do not forget.

For these two exceptional groups, Memorial Day is a lot like the typical religious Eucharist or Communion service.  It is a time of ceremony that commemorates something most of us forget most of the time.  Although it is deeply meaningful to the exception groups, they still wonder, do the others really understand the significance of what we celebrate. 

As I watch the religious observances of the Eucharist or Communion I often find myself thinking of how strange they seem when contrasted with the simplicity of what Jesus asked.  

• Jesus was with his ten most intimate friends; religion puts us with scores of people whom we really do not know.
• Jesus was having a common supper with the usual food and drink; religion puts us in a strange meeting with stuff we never eat any other time.
• Jesus was so close to the guys that some leaned on Him; religious leaders are remote and untouchable.

If Jesus is actually my best friend, my spiritual Bridegroom; If Jesus and I are actually fighting alongside each other to tear down the works of satan that steal the freedoms of men and women around us; then it becomes obvious.  When Jesus asked us to remember as often as we eat and drink the most common foods of our society He was talking about something far more than holding a religious ceremony.

When we were raising our five children, the school systems, the sports activities, the pressures of business and life all worked to make having dinner together almost impossible.  So we made breakfast a required meal at home.  No matter whose schedule required the earliest departure, the whole family got up and ate breakfast together before that one had to leave.  A meal together is a way we celebrate being family.

What Jesus was saying had nothing to do with starting a religious tradition.  It was all about our learning to be family together and remembering His sacrifice that made our family unity possible.

Almost daily I am drawn into conversations with people who resent God's decision not to fix some problem.  Ah how refreshing it is, however, when I come upon the ones who just want to have pizza and talk about how much Jesus has already done for us.

His, thus Yours,

  Stuart

A simple bit of real wisdom

A friend was over for dinner and told me about his son.

The son has spent a few years out trying various jobs and traveling around.  He was intensely dissatisfied with each of the jobs he tried. At his 17th job he was chatting with his team leader about all these terrible jobs.  He listed all the jobs and explained how he found them all dissatisfying.

After listening his team leader responded, "John, I see a pattern here that might help you find a more satisfying job."  

The son asked, "Really, what is it?" 

"All those jobs had just one thing in common -- YOU ! " 

In Deuteronomy chapter 7, God sets forth His battle plan for us so that we can conquer and take possession of our Promised Land.  But most of us fail to recognize our Promised Land for what it really is.  Your Promised Land is YOU !

An old American comic strip character, Pogo, said it well, "We have met the enemy and they are us."  

As most of you know I have been getting feedback about how you will best receive information about my upcoming trip.  The results of my "survey" are that you are about evenly split between Facebook, Emails, Blogs and various blends of these.

So, I am going to try to use multiple media.  We will see how it goes.  Your feedback as we go along is always treasured.

His, thus Yours,

  Stuart

To Him Who Believes

As my spirit was praying for you a few minutes ago I walked over to the living room window.  There along the path way that winds into the woods behind our home a young deer was walking.  He is a very beautiful creature.  His new growth of antlers has reached three to four inches and looks as though they are about to begin to fork into multiple points.  Because it is Saturday, the usual early morning dog walkers have not yet come to disturb his browsing on the fresh young branches and shrubs.  Despite the people built encroachments on his woodland, this young deer was living just as the Creator God intends him to live.

I am very glad you have found time to join me.  I have been asked several times recently how people can receive this blog automatically.  If you look up in the top right corner of this page you will see a spot to click that allows you to "Join this Site".  Click it and follow the instructions.

QUERY:  What is the essence of being a Christian ?  

Our traditions throw lots of answers at us for this all important question. 

• Go to church
• Be a good person
• Follow the 10 Commandments
• Speak in tongues
• Get baptized
• Belong to a particular group
• Pray
• Read the Bible

While all these things can be nice things to do they are all completely wrong answers and irrelevant to whether we are Christians.

The essence of being a Christian is our trust and belief that Jesus is who He says He is.

This, of course, is not new.  But its implications are profound.  Jesus says He is Truth.  Thus anyone or anything that disagrees with Jesus must be false and deceptive.  He is always trustworthy.  Please notice trust and belief are not the product of intellectual assessment of evidence.  Trust and belief are the result of setting ones will to trust and believe.

In the midst of that Truth, we hear Jesus say things about ourselves.  For example, by His Holy Spirit He declares you to be the Righteousness of God.  Can this be true ?  Are you in fact the Righteousness of God ?  If Jesus said it, it is true.  

This brings us to the mirroring essence of being a Christian.  Jesus has complete trust and belief that you are exactly who He says you are.  

Husband love your wife as Jesus loves His Bride, us, the true Church.  How does He love us ?  He chooses to believe in and trust us to be exactly who He says we are.  He then proceeds to lay down His life for us to make that transformation possible.  He empowers us to become exactly who He says we are.  So husband to love your wife, the essence of your marriage covenant is for you to choose to believe that she is exactly who Jesus says she is.  Then you proceed to lay down your life to empower her to be transformed just as Jesus says.  Please notice that Jesus does not wait until after we have been transformed to love us.  It is His deep love that empowers and encourages us to love Him and to receive the transformation He offers.  His love and belief are unconditional.  So also you need to let your love for and belief in your wife be unconditional.

Wife respect your husband.  This also is the mirror essence of the marriage relationship.  This response to love (respect, sometimes also translated reverence) is the choice to believe and trust that your husband is exactly who Jesus says he is.  It is a choice not based in your husband's performance. It is a choice based in your confidence that Jesus is Truth.  Moreover, confidence that Jesus by the power of His Spirit is both able and willing to persuade your husband to permit Jesus to bring about the needed transformation.

Tragically,  in our marriages there is an enemy at work.  The enemy is continually at work seeking to persuade us that Jesus is wrong.  This accuser is continually pointing out to us how our spouse has failed and falls short of what Jesus has said.  And let's be real, most of the time there is lots of evidence to persuade us that the accuser is absolutely right.  This person looks nothing like Jesus says he/she is.

Moreover, this spouse does not believe what Jesus says about either one of us.  How can I believe about this person what he or she does not believe.  How can I believe things that are the opposite of the way things look?  This comes back again to the essence of our trust and belief in Jesus.

But, this also brings us to a very important part of a healthy marriage.  The breakdown of marriages begins when either partner is unwilling to recognize and confess his/her failures to the other and to effectively repent.  When this does not happen consistently the ongoing failures operate to convince our partner that Satan's accusations are correct and Jesus is wrong.  That seed of doubt will grow rapidly as long as we insist on maintaining our pride and refuse to confess and repent effectively.

His, thus Yours, 

   Stuart

The Luxury of Being Father's Loved One

Good morning, I am sitting at the dining table surrounded by things I am sorting to take with me when I travel next week.  My second cup of coffee is just beside this keyboard.  I am hoping you are in a place where you can relax and have a drink with me.  I would enjoy sitting across your kitchen table from you when you have time to chat.  There are really only two things I dislike about communicating with you by blogging.  One is my typing is slow.  The other, the big one, is I cannot see your face or hear your comments in response as I am talking with you.

This week I have been trying to go to bed a bit early and wake up early so that my body is adjusting to the European time zones.  But, this morning my body simply did not want to awaken.  I did drag myself out long enough to fix breakfast for the household (my usual practice when not traveling).  But, within minutes after Lauralea left for the track, I was headed back to bed.  Ah that sleep was wonderful.  In my old life I would have been feeling frustrated and guilty.  There is so much to do:  Preparation for my trip;  Laundry to do;  Clean up the kitchen;  Get ready for guests tonight; and on and on the list goes.

Papa God has changed all that.  One of the very nice luxuries of having Papa God as my immediate supervisor is His joy in my being so completely free.  Papa knows and has finally convinced me:  

Everything that needs to be done was already completed by the second chapter of Genesis.  

When I choose to believe this, I am set free from anxiety and guilt concerning my own performance.  Does this get the kitchen clean ?  Does it get the checklist cleared ?  Not directly.  But it does two other things directly.  One, it greatly improves the quality of life for me and the people around me.  Two, it changes me so that when I am doing things I am working at my maximum efficiency.  

Moreover, when I choose to walk along through life as a companion of Holy Spirit, then the Spirit within me guides me.  This is when, as Ephesians 2 points out, I can walk in the good works which Father God accomplished ahead of time.  The ahead of time being before Genesis 2 when He entered His rest.  That is the same rest the writer of Hebrews urges us to be diligent to enter also.   There remains the long list of things my emotions have been screaming for me to do.  The glorious Truth is those not accomplish ahead by Father are better left undone.

So, relax !  Walk according to Holy Spirit and you will accomplish amazing even miraculous things while you are at rest.

His, thus Yours,

  Stuart

         

       

You Are Not Like Me; I am Not Like You

Good Morning, I hope you have time for a cup of coffee (I'll make tea if you prefer.).

Three of us share our home here in Columbia, Maryland,USA:  My Daughter, Betsey; Our Beloved Housemate and Friend, Lauralea; and Myself.  We all have many things in common:  our humanity; our faith in Jesus; our address; our primary speaking language; et cetera.  And yet we are each extremely different from the others.  We are from 3 different generations.  Lauralea is a professional jockey.  She rides race horses very well.  Betsey is a professional research physicist. She understands what causes the aurora borealis. I am a professional listener.  I listen to Holy Spirit and to people.  Lauralea is a world class introvert; people exhaust her; she can go hours without a single word of conversation.  Betsey loves to throw a party for someone; her parties are always for the benefit of someone else; she can entertain a room full of people.  I like to chat with one or two people at a time.  I am not truly an introvert; I thrive on being with people.  Conversely, I abhor the empty small talk of the typical party and am always trying to escape to a corner with someone. 

If you have read the book or listened to someone who has, you have heard of five languages in which we express and receive love.  Other authors describe more different languages.  However many languages you list, you will still need to recognize the multiplying factors like:  introvert or extrovert; fearful or bold;  strong willed or weak willed; et cetera.

Notice that in the most intimate of all human-human relationships, marriage, many couples (perhaps even most couples) never actually become informed about these differences.  Even those who do become informed rarely actually pursue overcoming the differences so that they can consistently communicate on a heart to heart level.  Tragically, as a result most married couples never become truly safe for each other.

Perhaps the single greatest reason why the communication breakdowns continue and become more severe over time has to do with a nearly universal characteristic of people.  We all tend to believe that other people are,  or at least should be, like "me".  I like to eat red meat; therefore, everyone should be happy if I serve steaks for dinner.  In my world view, it is almost inconceivable that there are large groups of people (most of India for example) who would be disgusted if they were offered only steaks to eat.  When typical Americans travel in France they expect people around them to understand the American English they speak.  Conversely, the typical French expect that all people should speak French.  Many of them simply cannot be bothered speaking with anyone who does not at least try to speak French.  We all initially developed a self-centered world view.  Only by love and maturity do we grow beyond remaining self-centered.

For a moment let's consider what has been historically the most deadly and devastating result this self-centered world view.  Religious leaders everywhere believe that they are right.  Of course they must or they could not be religious leaders.  This is true whether we are looking at Presbyterian Calvinists or at Arminian Charismatic Independents or at Hindu Polytheists or at Islamic Jihadists.  They all think they are right.  They all think those who disagree are wrong.  Moreover, they are all teaching and training their followers to imitate the leader's ways to think about and view God.

But, there is a far greater tragedy.  These leaders also tend to believe that God's style of seeing people and communicating and dealing with them will be similar to the style the leader has developed.  And they communicate this belief both overtly and subtly through out their leadership.

So, for example, almost no one who is a true introvert becomes a religious leader.  Thus, subtly all introverts are told by the leaders, "There is something wrong with you."  Some leaders love to sing and do so well.  Their followers who (like myself) do not sing well learn to feel inferior or inadequate.

HERE IS THE GOOD NEWS ! ! !

God, who has the right to be totally self centered, has chosen not to be.

He has chosen to listen to you.  You as you are, not as someone else thinks you should be.

He has chosen to respond initially to you in your love languages and your style and character.

And,  when you are ready, He will patiently teach you to understand His love languages and Himself.

Relax and be yourself with Him.  He is such FUN to love.

His, thus Yours,

  Stuart   

The Manna is Fresh Every Morning

Good Morning, I am having my first cup of coffee and Holy Spirit tells me He has something to show us.

When I first opened the computer I was looking at the list of topics I have previously considered writing about.  But Holy Spirit said He has something new to show us.  Then He began to explain something I had never brought into focus.  Stated tersely it is this:

Virtually all our serious spiritual attacks and problem areas are rooted in our past.

Conversely, ALL of our deliverance and healings from those things spring from life in relationship with God NOW.  

Think about it.  

I was talking with a husband yesterday.  He was giving praise to God because with God's help he and his wife have been finding resolution and forgiveness and reconciliation for many accumulated areas of wounds in their relationship. He then went on to say, "Stuart, please pray for us, I want to get through this process and begin to enjoy our relationship now."

Our Bridegroom Jesus is just like that.  He is continually saying to us, His Bride, He wants to give us healing from the past and connect us with the deep abiding joy of living intimately with Him in the present.

His, thus Yours, 

   Stuart

Kingdom Finances

As many of you already know, I do not ask people for money.  Years ago I read in the Scriptures that the child of the righteous one does not beg for bread.  I accepted that verse as an instruction that as a son of God I should never beg for money.  Sometimes I have gone to extreme lengths to avoid even the appearance that I was in need of money.  As part of that quiet commitment I have often avoided even talking about the subject of money.

Three times today God has been challenging me about this.  He has been asking me if my pride in following this path is more important than His desire to share with His children a fresh perspective concerning how we should operate in the world of finances without becoming owned and controlled by the finances of the world.  I found myself struggling.  I was having difficulty admitting that my pride was a problem.  Alas it is difficult to argue with Holy Spirit about what He sees so clearly.  Perhaps a little bit of context will let you see me more clearly:  

First confrontation -- My daughter was chatting with me about her personal finances and her desire to build up her savings account.  I pointed out that she had been allowing her compassion for other people to draw her into spending lavish amounts in order to bless people with gifts, meals, and companionship.  Holy Spirit whispers, "Really Stuart, and what about you ?" 

Second confrontation -- I was talking with a young family man.  I pointed out to him that virtually every man or woman I know who is really building Godly relationships of ministry in the Body of Christ has gone through some period in his/her life when there was barely enough income to feed and cloth the family.  Holy Spirit whispers, "So do you think you are exempt from going through that again ?"  

Third confrontation -- I was on the telephone with the travel agent making arrangements to buy airline tickets from home to Europe, Europe to Africa, and back again.  In round numbers I expect the expenses for this trip (travel, accommodations, meals and miscellany) will be close to $20,000.  I found myself wondering whether Father God could afford this trip.  Holy Spirit whispers,  "It is no problem for Him.  Is it a problem for you ?  Have you made it your problem ? " 

Fourth confrontation -- An opportunity arose this week to acquire a piece of real estate that would make an ideal ministry center here in the Washington, DC area.  It is a place where young men and women from around the world and from around this area could come to receive teaching and counsel and opportunities to serve others.  It has or can be equipped with all the tools needed to serve multiple generations.  Estimated cost to buy it and complete all the desired modifications One Million Four Hundred Thousand Dollars {$1,400,000 }.  If the funds were available it could be ready to use by the time I return from Africa.  The conversation around the table turned to whether we should be buying more Power Ball Lottery tickets because there is no other way we could possibly see that much money.  Holy Spirit whispers, "Stuart, do you really think the lottery is more powerful than the Creator God ? "

Now you can see why I felt a bit vulnerable when Holy Spirit said, "Let's sit down and write a blog entry about Kingdom Finances."   

Most of you will have previously heard me teach about the basic principles of personal finances:  1.)  Stay out of debt.  2.)  Give a tithe of your gains to support men and women (as distinct from organizations) who are serving to equip the Bride.  3.)  Make offerings to help defray the cost of buildings and equipment used by the Body of Christ.  4.)  Always carry a bit of cash to give to those less fortunate than you are.  These principles of love and grace will always serve you well.

But today I am called to examine with you some larger issues of Kingdom finances.  I want to address several misconceptions that most of us were taught as we grew up in the world surrounded by religious institutions.

Problem One:  We have been trained to falsely identify institutions as the Body of Christ instead of seeing that the Body of Christ is a community of intimate very personal relationships.  We tend to label buildings and institutional meetings as the Church.  But we fail to recognize a time sharing a cup of tea or coffee is more often a genuine Church experience than the Sunday morning gathering.  The effect of this.  We think only the money we give to or through the institution is really given to the Kingdom of God.

Problem Two:  We have been trained to give in response to external human stimuli rather than in response to Holy Spirit.  News coverage of an earthquake in Haiti or a tsunami in Indonesia can trigger an avalanche of giving.  Skillful orators use motivations of pride, greed, and guilt to manipulate congregations of believers to give huge sums of money.  But, Jesus says the way we use our money is a direct reflection of our core spiritual decision making.  Thus, when men and events control the way we spend our money we need to ask ourselves is Jesus really Lord over my core spiritual being?

Problem Three:  We often act as though we are spiritually blind.  We can be motivated to buy buildings.  We can get excited about furnishing clothing or food to people in need.  But we seem to be blind to the significance of training leaders or ministering to people on a spirit to spirit level.  We seem to need social and emotional feedback more than we want to please the Lord.  In large measure we seem to think that Jesus' miracles of healing and feeding people were far more important than His Sermon on the Mount or the parables by which He taught us about the Kingdom of God.

Problem Four:  We often fail to recognize and/or value the men and women Jesus has given as servant gifts to His Bride.  When I was practicing law the regulations of the State Bar required me to take educational courses to maintain my professional competence to serve my clients.  Such courses cost hundreds of dollars occasionally even thousands of dollars.  They were courses where experienced attorneys shared with us so that we would be better equipped to serve our clients.  In the church, however, most people are quite content to give the ones who come to equip us for spiritual ministry less than they spent on breakfast the morning of the meeting.  Many people are prepared to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars to get the help of a doctor or dentist or lawyer but they do not think about giving similar amounts to the apostle or prophet or teacher who helps them deal with a spiritual problem.

Problem Five:  We have been trained to measure our success in terms of dollars and numbers of people. But that is the opposite of how Jesus looked at things.  He viewed an impoverished widow who gave only a tiny amount as being far superior to a wealthy young ruler.  He taught the large groups in parables so that they would not understand.  But He imparted words of spirit and life to the small intimate group of His disciples.  

Problem Six:  We largely ignore Jesus' instruction to make disciples in favor of the religious institution's mandate to recruit members or make converts.   Thus, billions of dollars have been expended to build the statistics of people who have come forward in a meeting to "receive Jesus" but a mere pittance has been expended to equip local leaders to disciple the saints.  

How can we become part of the solution to these ongoing problems ?

First and foremost,  LISTEN to Holy Spirit.  Hear Him about each and every decision to give money.

Second and nearly as important, never give money outside of a real personal RELATIONSHIP.  Do not allow yourself to use your money to excuse yourself from building a real relationship with the recipient.

Third, whether you are giving fifty cents or fifty million dollars, let your money and your heart be COMMITTED TO SPIRITUAL LIFE not merely to social or psychological help programs.

If you do not have time, ability, or commitment to follow these three simple steps, FIND SOME HELP from someone who is both willing and equipped to follow them.  

His, thus Yours,

Stuart