grateful beyond belief

A month ago, I went camping with some friends.  I can’t believe it’s only been a month since that camping trip. God used that trip to change me. He cracked me wide open and spilt out everything that has been bottled up for the last couple of years.

During that camping trip, I met some new friends, reconnected with some old ones and told my story and heard others’ stories. I felt connected. Finally. After being almost completely isolated for almost two years, with the exception of walking with my neighbor most mornings, I finally found community with other believers, centered around Jesus. Not just hanging out with no real purpose but really wanting to walk this thing out, good, bad, and ugly, and do life together. No matter what that looks like.

Since then, we’ve been breaking bread from house to house. And I have been loving it. But, many of us have been under attack. The enemy does not want us meeting with other believers to celebrate and talk about Christ and pray for each other and with each other. When believers come together and unpack the gifts that God has given them, I believe we’re going to finally see the power of God, the stuff that we cannot see on an individual level.

Everyone longs for community on some level. And many people rally around stuff like ball teams and politics and other stuff, but what if we take our energy and go after the Kingdom of God and His righteousness? What does that look like? He says in Matthew that His burden is light and His yoke is easy. But most of us are still dragging around what looks like a whole lot of crap that doesn’t in any way reflect His power or His glory. I’m signing up for His burden and yoke.

What if we’re freed to release everything and run after Him? To invite people into our homes and our lives and do community in a very purposeful Christ-centered way, allowing Him to be magnified above everything else.

Since that camping trip, people who hadn’t even met before have met and prayed together, hiked together, and will serve someone in our own little missional community next weekend. Serving and doing house stuff really isn’t my gift as such, but I’m super excited about coming together as the Body of Christ to encourage a family in our midst, eat a meal, and  work on their house, even if they have to put me on pine cone duty because of my serious lack of skills.

I cannot wait to see what God has in store for His believers, not just in this community but all over Nashville. Because, I have a feeling, when you begin to taste His goodness, you cannot get enough of Him or His people.

So I just got home from eating a meal with other believers, praying and talking about Jesus. And I am just grateful. Jesus said, I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

And all the believers lived in a wonderful harmony, holding everything in common. They sold whatever they owned and pooled their resources so that each person’s need was met.

They followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple followed by meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful, as they praised God. People in general liked what they saw. Every day their number grew as God added those who were saved. (Acts 2)

 

Moving Mountains

This afternoon, I found an inchworm crawling on me. When I knocked him off, he fell onto my paper. I tried to knock him off my paper, and he clung to my fingers. When I knocked him off my hand, he made some kind of web (I didn’t even know they did this) and inched his way back up to my hand…he did this twice. Persistent little sucker.

Yesterday, in church we sang the words, “My Savior, He can move the mountains. My God is mighty to save.” This is the second time we’ve sung that song in a couple of weeks, so when a song is repeated like that, I know this is one way Abba reveals His love for me, and I know I’m supposed to pay attention.

I’ve been wrestling a lot lately about God’s glory. God’s Glory = ? I think I’ve been trying to find a noun to describe it. I haven’t found one yet that fits. I see Abba’s glory in His creation, but I think there’s more to it than that. St. Irenaeus said, “The glory of God is man fully alive.” Maybe that’s part of it…Abba’s best, His ultimate creation, the being that He created in His own image—man…living, really living. I don’t think I’ve seen too many of those fully alive people around. John 10:10 says, I have come so that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly.

Our pastor is doing a series called SYNC. The question that has been asked is, “Do I really want to know…experience…God?” Or am I stalled in my spiritual walk? For me, stalled is what I would consider wilderness living, when I don’t really have the desire to follow Christ, when I’m stuck in my busy little world pursuing anything and everything but Him. I feel like I’m coming out of my wilderness…I know it because I’m beginning to desire Him more and more…He’s once again moving mountains in my life.

So, inchworms, mountains, God’s glory…I don’t even think all these things even relate to each other. But right now, I am determined to know Abba and His glory. I’m going to be that inchworm that fights to crawl back up even in my stalled wilderness times when I don’t really even think He’s what I want. But, really, it’s not about me or what I do or even what I want, because my persistence will fail, and this whole journey is not about me boot strapping. I know that Jesus moves the mountains…the obstacles, the hindrances, the sin…maybe not in one big push, maybe little by little. I’ve already seen some of my mountains moved. Being afraid of God is one in particular that’s been moved for me. I grew up believing God was a punishing, judgmental Being who was ready to zap me with a lightning bolt anytime I stepped out of line, but now I see Him as my Abba who loves me more than I can possibly imagine…He showed me He is mighty to save…even from myself and my perceptions of Him. There are some big obstacles within myself, but I’m beginning to see some of these mountains being slowly moved, and I’m in awe of what He is doing. God’s glory…hopefully I’ll know it when I see it. But right now, I’m busy keeping my eyes open wide and my ears eagerly listening because I don’t want to miss a thing. I want to be one of those fully alive people. Today, my desire is to know Christ above all else and once again, that’s a God-thing in itself.