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2.12.13 Will We Lean on Our Staff?

     I am enjoying my home church in Austin, Riverbend. As I pull into the parking lot each Sunday, I see drivers waiting in over-sized golf carts to take people from their cars to the front entrance. As churchgoers stream up the sidewalks, I notice the familiar greeters stationed at the door, ready to give us a warm handshake. As soon as I step inside, I see Helen, a woman in a wheelchair, who always hands me the worship bulletin.

     To make eye contact with Helen you have to kneel so that she can see you. Her head is often tilted to one side with her eyes looking toward the floor. Yet Helen is not hindered by her disability. She has been a faithful volunteer since I’ve been in Austin. My guess is that she’s been serving in this capacity for much longer. Touched by her servant’s heart, I always remember to thank her.

Helen, a faithful servant

Helen, a faithful servant

     Worship bulletin in hand, I ascend the ramp leading to the main walkway of our sanctuary. Because our sanctuary is designed like an amphitheater, it is shaped in a semi-circle. The walkway separates the lower section of pews for people who prefer to sit closer to the stage and the upper section of pews for those who enjoy a birds-eye view of the platform. The stage is the lowest part of our sanctuary backed by a wide window that reveals tree tops and a peaceful sky. It is a breath-taking view that enhances the worship experience.

     I take my seat, and watch the young families with children find their favorite seats and the guests trying to decide if they should sit closer to the stage, or stay at a distance in the balcony. As I watch everyone pile in, I’m struck by the men and women who come to the sanctuary assisted by walkers, canes, or wheelchairs. Most of us don’t think twice about getting out of bed, getting dressed, and getting out the door, but those who have disabilities make a special effort to be here. It probably takes them twice as long to get around and put themselves together to be able to attend worship.

     It’s easy to be inspired by their obvious effort to join other believers, but what inspires me is deeper than their physical effort to worship. I find myself asking, What really drives them to be here? Surely they’re not coming out of legalism that says, “all believers ‘should’ attend worship every Sunday.” I found my answer reading an Old Testament passage in Genesis 47.

     Jacob and his children were rejoined with Jacob’s son, Joseph, in Egypt due to a famine. Jacob was 130 years old when he made this move. Seventeen years later, Jacob senses that his death is imminent, so he decides to do last minute estate planning. He calls in Joseph and asks him to swear that he will be buried with his other family members in Canaan, not in Egypt where he’s now living. Verse 31 says, “Then Joseph swore to him, and Jacob worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.” Jacob is 147 years old! Jacob desired to worship God, even though he was frail and had to lean on his staff.

     I think Jacob was driven to worship God at 147 years old because he had a deep, abiding love relationship with God. God never failed him. God was always faithful in fulfilling His covenant promises. God delivered him in times of hardship, whether it was working for his Uncle Laban who kept changing the terms of his work relationship, or whether it was the fear that his brother Esau would kill him, or whether a whole community would kill him and his family because of two sons who mass murdered all the men of Shechem. Jacob wrestled with God. Jacob had to know that God was worthy of all glory and honor.

     Helen reminds me of Jacob. I bet she’s experienced a God who has always been faithful to her. Because of her devotion to God, she has never let her disability stop her from serving God by handing out worship bulletins, or worshipping God with us. Our day will come when our bodies will become less cooperative. Some day we will have a “staff” to assist us. Will we be driven to do whatever it takes to worship with other believers when we’re disabled and tempted to stay home? Will our effort to worship by leaning on our staff be a reflection of our lifelong devotion to cultivate a growing love relationship with God?

     If you’re not sure, what are the obstacles in your way to connect with God and worship Him? Is there anything I can do to help you or encourage you?

Blessings,
Lee Ann

1.28.13 Do You Read Me?

     I began blogging as a way to share my faith in Christ with my family and friends. But as I grow as a blogger, I see it as another venue to minister to my readers. I try to emphasize how God is always faithful and how the Bible undergirds me in all circumstances. By sharing my experiences with God, it is my goal to help you discern God’s presence in your life.

     Thanks to you, the readership is growing and so is my desire to improve as a writer. Not only do I work with my writing coach, but I have been studying professional bloggers in order to sharpen my skills. Here is some standard wisdom from the blogosphere that is shaping my writing goals for 2013:

  • Readers prefer blog posts around 500 words. (I average 1,000 words. I have a goal to write with more brevity.)
  • Readers need a call to action. (Knowledge needs to translate to changed behavior.)
  • Frequency of blog posts do matter. (My 2013 goal is to show up in your inbox twice a month through your WordPress subscription to my blog.)
  • It’s about building the email list, not getting subscribers. (Uh oh. I’m not on board.)

     The last statement bothers me. In fact, I’m taking a contrarian position. The reason professional bloggers push building an email list is because they have something to sell. I’m not a business. That’s not why I blog. I have something to share, which leads me to another truth. Writers improve when they know who their audience is. It’s not about a huge audience, but the right audience. So my prayer is that the Lord will attract subscribers who connect deeply with me and my writing. Ultimately, it’s about my writing leading you to connect deeply with God.

     But it’s also about growing your readership. Successful bloggers do this. So how will I grow my readership? Here’s how I see it. I won’t be growing my readership. God does that through you. The Scripture says in I Corinthians 3:6-7 in which Paul writes, “I planted the seed, Apollos (another Christian worker) watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.” This principle helps me keep perspective. If God is honored in what I write, He will find a way to increase the readership. I will view growth in the number of subscribers as God’s confirmation that I am being used of Him to encourage and bless you.

     So today I am “planting the seed.” My part is to let you know that you can help me grow as a writer by helping me know my audience. Your part is playing Apollos who “waters the seed.” Then God will grow my readership. Please know that I am not presumptuous or naive. I have a long way to go as a writer.

     So here’s my request. If you connect with my writing, even if you read my blog every now and then, would you please subscribe? I know that some of you believe you already subscribed months ago, but if you’re reading this post because I emailed you, then you are not subscribed. There’s a strong chance you missed the required confirmation step. Please know I won’t be offended if you don’t subscribe. It  means God is not prompting you! It also means I won’t feel guilt when I stop the email blasts. I simply desire to understand who God is putting together as my audience.

     Assuming you’re led to assist me to grow as a writer, WordPress requires some steps to get subscribed:

  1. While you’re reading this post, look for the rectangular box right above the icon “Sign Me Up” and type your email address. (The box is in the upper right hand corner of the blog.) After typing your email address, click “Sign Me Up.”
  2. WordPress will send you a confirmation email. You have to open their email and find the icon that says “Confirm Follow.” You have to click it to confirm your subscription. Upon successfully subscribing, you will receive a second email notification from WordPress that says, “Congratulations, you are now subscribed to the site of LAPenick’s Blog.”

     For those who are already subscribed, THANK YOU!! I feel honored to serve you. Do you read my blog? If yes, please subscribe. I’m ready to continue our journey if you’re with me!

Blessings,                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Lee Ann

1.14.13 God Spoke Through Index Cards

     In Christian circles we have a joke that there are certain topics that have a tendency to “thin the herds.” If there is a sermon series on giving or a request to spend blocks of time in prayer, we tend to see fewer folks in the pews and in our halls of study. So when I cast the vision for a two-hour prayer retreat, in which we would ask God to speak to us, I would have been thrilled to have six to eight women–about 25% of our Women in the Word bible study class. God was apparently up to something special because 28 women committed with great enthusiasm and expectancy that God would show up!

     We gathered Saturday morning. My goal was for us to come with humbled hearts to hear God’s voice in the spirit of John 17:23. I prayed, “Lord, please bring our Women in the Word Sunday School class into complete unity with you. Please show us what you want us to focus on for 2013.” Whatever God shared with us was to be recorded on index cards.

     I picked key passages out of the gospel of John to raise confidence that God would talk to His children. I wanted the women to appreciate that God is honored to be invited as the solo speaker, and He will speak. Because our group was represented by all levels of spiritual maturity and because some women were newer in their journey with the Lord, I felt they needed encouragement to trust what they heard. When a particular thought popped into their mind, I didn’t want them to dismiss it just because they might not understand why that thought occurred. I came up with an object lesson to illustrate my point.

     I went to a children’s store and bought a jigsaw puzzle with about ten pieces. I took out all of the pieces and randomly distributed them without showing them the picture. Each piece was to represent a thought, a phrase, a Scripture passage, a word picture, or whatever came to their minds. I didn’t want the women to discount their thoughts just because they didn’t understand them. If everybody trusted that God was speaking, then we would write down on our index cards what He brings to mind. By doing so we would be able to see how God spoke to us collectively with all pieces brought to the table. Here is the assembled puzzle:

Assembled Airplane

Assembled Airplane

     If you’re a teacher, I highly recommend that if you are going to illustrate a concept with a jigsaw puzzle, you should practice putting it together before trying it in front of a group. I made the assumption that because I bought the puzzle at a children’s store, it would be child’s play. I couldn’t have been more wrong! After fumbling for a while, I finally said, “OK. Who has the tail? Let’s start there!” After the laughter subsided, the women were gracious and loved the big picture concept. They understood that each piece of the puzzle is vital to understanding God’s emerging theme for our class.

     The time came to enter into solitude for two hours. I distributed index cards and instructed each woman to write whatever they believed God was telling them. I especially asked them not to use their names because we didn’t want human personalities to persuade interpretation. At the end of two hours we reconvened, collected all the cards, and debriefed. It was satisfying to hear women say that the two hours went by too fast!

     I scanned the cards and emailed them to all class members, whether they attended the retreat or not. I asked everyone to pray for the Spirit’s leadership in discerning the emerging theme and to be prepared to share their interpretations during our Sunday School hour. But when I read through all the index cards myself, all I could see were 28 random ideas. I had my heart set on a clear emerging theme that would be obvious to all. Where was the airplane?? I struggled Saturday afternoon and evening with disappointment, frustration, and confusion.

     I had no idea how intense my expectation of God was until I began our class in prayer, and I just wept. I confessed to God my disappointment and sought His help in discerning a unifying message. As soon as my prayer was over, the women told me they had just the opposite reaction! They were shocked I felt disappointed. “I had such great faith that God would pierce through all the different levels of spiritual maturity and bring about a crystal clear theme.” I said. “I have asked multiple prayer warriors who were covering us during our retreat to pray that God would make his message abundantly clear. It was my deepest desire that each woman would be so convinced in the power of prayer that they would implement times of silence before God as a regular discipline.”

     What followed was amazing. I asked each woman to share what she thought God had said to us collectively. One by one they shared from their hearts what they felt God had said. One woman said, “I felt like a fraud. I wanted to be a part of this retreat and knew I hadn’t been faithful to read the bible like I should. I thought, ‘Why would God even want to speak to me?’” But when she opened her bible, she kept hearing one theme – keep growing. Another woman shared, “Before I came to this class I felt spiritually dead. “I’m a nurse and care for many people,” she told us. “But I was dead inside. I feel alive again. “As I was praying, I heard “obey the Word.” Another woman who is a new believer said, “I’m so glad that I came. I went to the prayer retreat trusting that ‘something will happen.’ During the two hours I kept hearing “I am here.” She sensed that people want to do something and that we should pay attention to small details.”

     We stayed for as long as it took to hear all thirty ladies. There was not a dry eye in our room. There was transparency, vulnerability, and an indescribable love that was powerfully evident. The Spirit was moving mightily. As we listened to each woman, the tapestry of thoughts that God wove together revealed a unifying message. It became apparent that the airplane was there all along, and that I had missed it. As one of our ladies said, “I was hoping 28 cards would read World Hunger.” That was the kind of clarity I expected from God. But the collective message was clear: We are all one in Christ regardless of where we are in our spiritual journey, AND we are all hungering and desiring to grow in our relationship to God.

     Not only do we have a unifying message from God, but we have a stronger bond among us to journey together as we grow in our relationship to God by loving others and serving others. God spoke through index cards. There was an airplane after all.

Blessings,
Lee Ann

12.27.12 What’s Your New You Resolution?

     Are you tired of making New Year’s Resolutions that fade by February? Me too. My personal favorite is setting a goal to exercise at a gym because they have the wonderful equipment. I can’t tell you how many gyms I’ve signed up for over the years. Organizations like Gold’s Gym and the YMCA have my number, and I bet they have yours too! These organizations are cash cows in January as we all register with well-intentioned goals for self-improvement. So why do the majority of us consistently fail? 

     I think our failure is setting the outcome as our goal instead of focusing on the character traits needed to accomplish our goals. If the desired outcome is losing ten pounds, then the trait of self control is vital to our success. This basic insight has become my secret sauce to leverage a New Year’s Resolution and apply it to spiritual growth, and I want to share it with you. Let’s call it our New You Resolution. 

     Try setting your New You Resolution based on the trait you most desire to develop in 2013. Then convert your goal to develop your desired trait into a daily prayer. I started this practice in 2007 when I desired to have Jesus’s character trait of being a generous giver. So my daily prayer in 2007 was “Lord, help me to be a generous giver just like you.” The results continue to bear “much fruit.” I still pray this prayer because I see God’s continuing transformation in my heart. I promise you that God will do the same for you if you will invite Him to be a part of the process. 

     May I share my New You Resolution for 2013? It is my prayer that by disclosing it, you are inspired to set your own. Here’s mine: 

John 15:5

“I (Jesus) am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” 

The above verse is the underpinning of my New You Resolution. If I want to see spiritual growth to be more Christ-like, then I have to be connected to Jesus. Apart from Jesus, I can do nothing. 

My Confession

I have experienced the conviction that I need to exercise “great faith.” Jesus uses this phrase in Scripture. He admires it and rewards it. Jesus gave all of His children His authority and power with the expectation that we would use it. Instead, I have not always shown “great faith.” I shared in a previous post an example of when I failed to exercise “great faith” to pray over my writing coach when she suffered a slipped disc in her back. 

My Correction

My 2013 New You Resolution will be this prayer, “Lord, help me to be your follower, someone known for “great faith,” who risks often with a humble heart to bring healing to others.” I desire to pray with people who have physical illnesses. I desire to pray for people who are in spiritual battles. I desire to pray with people who need emotional healing. I desire to lead others to Christ and experience spiritual healing. Jesus wants to reward “great faith.” I believe Jesus wants to show up in all of these prayers with all kinds of healing as long as God gets the glory (see John 14:12-14). But I can’t rush headlong into this without spiritual preparation. 

My Commitment

First, if I am not following the leadership of the Holy Spirit, this will be a disaster. I am committed to being spiritually sensitive to know when He is giving me opportunities to leverage His authority and power to bring about healings. Second, I am committed to help others be at ease before I pray over them by sharing the following preamble: 

  • I acknowledge that I am a sinner who is not worthy to be His instrument. I am not a spiritual giant. There is no such person. We only serve a giant God. God is just looking for someone to risk with Him! I don’t have a greater connection to God than the next person.
  • All prayers are answered according to His will. Since we don’t know God’s will for another person, we need to accept that if He chooses not to answer our prayer, then it’s only for a benevolent reason. For example, illness can draw us closer to God. We can learn to consider it joy to experience trials and tribulations, and we can learn that we are completely dependent on God.
  • If He doesn’t answer our prayer, let’s understand that this is not a spiritual indictment of your faith in God, or mine. Because God is always in control, we trust Him completely for the outcome.
  • No matter what the result is, know that God loves you deeply. An unanswered prayer is in no way an expression that God loves you less.
  • When God does answer our prayer, we both have to be deeply committed to giving God all of the glory and share our testimonies as God opens doors to do so. 

My Conclusion

When December 31, 2013, arrives, I want to look back on the year knowing that I exercised “great faith” often, using His authority and power to change the world through all kinds of healing. So many people are hurting and without hope, and praying over them will not only communicate genuine care, but they will have hope in our loving Father who desires to minister to them. In the end, if I remain in Jesus, He will remain in me. 

 

Blessings,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Lee Ann

12.14.12 I Want What He Wants

     Jesus got my attention in this prayer to His Father right before He was crucified. In it, he shares what He wants for us as believers: 

     My prayer is not for them (the disciples) alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message (that’s you and me), that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you … May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.  (John 17:20-23 NIV) 

     Here’s what inspires me: Complete unity among all believers is achievable! I firmly believe that Jesus would not have expressed this prayer if complete unity were not possible. Unity is an attribute He wants to see in all believers, whether that be two believers joined in marriage, or a small group bible study, or a large congregation. 

     Imagine what it would be like if every believer woke up each morning seeking unity with God. When I wake in the morning, I like to start talking to Him immediately. I’m like a child who wakes and goes looking for her Mother to cuddle and just talk away. But what if I snuggle up with God and let Him speak to me? I can picture all of us quiet before Him as our starting point, allowing the Spirit to recalibrate our hearts with the focus of our Father and Jesus, who are in complete unity. Then all other prayers would flow from this unity with a triune God. 

     Imagine what it would be like if every Christian couple had Christ at the center of their lives. Each couple would pray together and seeking God’s will for their marriage. If every Christian couple put God first, their lives would shine before a lost world. They would only make decisions led by the Spirit because God brings them into complete unity with His will. 

     Imagine what it would be like if every pastor of every Christian Church would lead their congregations to become a true house of prayer. God honors those who seek Him with their heart, mind, soul, and spirit. Can you picture a congregation gathered for the sole purpose of hearing God’s voice through prayer? Jesus promises to be wherever two or more are gathered in His name. 

     I’m not sure what complete unity looks like, but I am willing to start a conversation moving toward that goal. One clue is found in v.23. If believers are in complete unity with the Father, the world will take notice and see that God sent Jesus. Then the world would recognize that we are Christ followers loved by God. 

     How do you lead a group of believers toward complete unity with God? I think the foundation has to be prayer. How can we hear His voice unless we come before Him in silence and listen to what He has to share with us? I have proposed to lead our Sunday School class in a prayer time that is separate from Sunday morning. The purpose of our time together will be to hear God’s voice and listen for an emerging theme. Each woman will be given index cards. After leading them through segments of guided prayer, I will ask each person to record anonymously whatever comes repeatedly to their mind on their index cards. 

     What might show up on their cards? Maybe a phrase keeps coming to mind or a verse that gets triggered through our time together. Maybe it’s a song that has a message that God wants us to hear. Or a number that has meaning. Or it’s a heavy burden that doesn’t go away. Maybe a picture comes to mind. Who knows?! I will collect the cards at the end of our prayer time, scan them and email them to class members immediately. Each woman will be asked to individually and prayerfully discern the theme that shows where God wants us to focus. When we come together again, we will process the results. I think it will be exciting to try. I believe God will honor our genuine attempt to seek His will for our group. 

     I cast this vision to our class last Sunday, and 85% were very positive about doing this, so we are moving forward to set the date for either Dec 29th or Jan 5th, , whichever date the majority can attend.  I am thrilled! In the meantime I am excited that Jesus wants me to experience complete unity with Him just as He experiences it with the Father. I want what He wants – complete unity. I am going to start praying in agreement with Jesus. “Lord, help me to be one with you just as you and the Father are one.” 

     Do you believe complete unity among the body of Christ is achievable? Does that feel over the top? Unrealistic? As you can see, I am just starting to process this. I think I have much to learn regarding what complete unity really looks like. What do you think complete unity looks like? Are you willing to go on this journey with me?

Blessings,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Lee Ann