Peace

The blog I wanted to post this week isn't done yet, I've a project at work that much be completed by the end of the month so I've been working a lot. I found this short essay I wrote in 2011, but never posted so I am posting it for this week. It's also appropriate since I could use more peace this week!

If there is one thing we could all use more of these days it’s the peace Jesus Christ brings. I’m sure I’m not the only one who thinks that days are flying by, and with our cell phones, email, text messages, tweets, wife, kids, work and other commitments we just don’t have time for peace. Whenever I think of peace I think of Luke 10:38-42. 


At the Home of Martha and Mary 


38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but only one thing is needed.a Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” [1]
 
This story of Jesus’ always stops me like a kick in the teeth. Consider Martha’s situation. She received Jesus into her home and then neglected Him as she prepared an elaborate meal that He did not need! Certainly a meal was in order, but what we do with Christ is far more important than what we do for Christ. Christ would have been ok with mac and cheese. Again, it is not an either/or situation; it is a matter of balance. Mary had done her share of the work in the kitchen and then had gone to “feed” on the Lord’s teachings. Martha felt neglected after Mary left the kitchen, and she began to complain and to suggest that neither the Lord nor Mary really cared![2]
 
But it’s 2000 years later; we can’t physically sit at the feet of Jesus, can we? Of course not, but Jesus himself says in John 14:27 


27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. [3]
 
He’s given his peace to us and it’s separate from the world. Later in John 16:33


33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” [4]


Our peace is found in him. We will have troubles but praise God he has overcome the world! Paul says in Philippians 4:4-9 the peace of God will guard our hearts and mind in Christ Jesus. How awesome is that! 


4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.[5]
 
So it’s clear the peace we are seeking in this world does not come from the world it comes from Jesus. How do we get this peace? We do what Mary did and sit at his feet. Finish your work, but do not neglect sitting at his feet. As stated earlier, what we do with Christ is far more important than what we do for Christ. Again, it is not an either/or situation; it is a matter of balance.

---

^a Some manuscripts but few things are needed—or only one

^[1]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.) (Lk 10:38-42). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

^[2]Wiersbe, W. W. (1996, c1989). The Bible exposition commentary. "An exposition of the New Testament comprising the entire 'BE' series"--Jkt. (Lk 10:38). Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books.

^[3]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.) (Jn 14:27). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

^[4]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.) (Jn 16:33). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

^[5]The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984 (electronic ed.) (Php 4:4-9). Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Wildflowers

Throughout the spring and into the summer I’ve had wildflowers on my mind, and I wasn’t sure why. In May it was lilacs, my favorite flower, then it was picking daises. Later it was lilies, and Tiger Lilies, and Black Eyed Susans. 

I bought a new camera lens in early July and many of the pictures I took while testing it were of wildflowers, including the ones here. I was receiving such vivid imagery I even wrote a song about wildflowers called obviously Picking Wildflowers. It’s an Irish, folksy kind of thing.

I’d ask the Lord why He was showing me all the wildflower visions and references, and He wasn’t really explaining it. I was going to eventually write a blog about all this anyway since the imagery has been constant for 4 months, but I wasn’t sure what conclusion or meaning to attach to the wildflowers, and I wanted to wait for the song to be completed.
 
But then Friday August 12, 2016 dawned hot and muggy. It was the second day of the Global Leadership Summit (GLS), and things started to finally make sense. I think it was T.D. Jakes that said, “Go bloom where you are planted” (If you were at the GLS and I have my reference wrong please correct me) BAM! Connection to the wildflowers. 

In my best Ron Popeil voice “But wait, There’s more!” On Saturday night I decided to do something I rarely do and watch a movie. I watched Facing the Giants (Sherwood Pictures 2006). At 38:48 in the movie Mr. Bridges comes in to see Grant Taylor, and at 39:29 he says “you are to bloom right where you are planted.” BAM! I almost fell out of my chair! Someone made a YouTube clip of the scene.Bloom where you are planted Then later in the movie there is a scene (approx. 1 hr 7 mins in) in the flower shop where Grant Taylor buys wildflowers for His wife. BAM! Two more confirmations on the wildflower theme. But wait, there’s more! Then on Sunday morning Pastor Pat also repeated “Go bloom where you are planted” during his sermon. SHAZAM! Granted we were at the same conference, but 4 wildflower references in 3 days was major confirmation that I should explore this topic sooner rather than later. If you have read my blog more than once you’ll see it is common that I need multiple confirmations, I can be hard-headed, and I am not even German!


So wildflowers, they usher in spring, clothe the summer, and compliment autumn. When hiking I like to find a nice meadow and just contemplate my crazy life. However, why had wildflowers been on my mind throughout much of 2016, it had to be more than they are pretty
.

Biblically speaking the first passage that came to mind was Mathew 6:25-34 (HCSB) since it contained the word wildflowers. 


Do Not Worry 


25 “This is why I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they? 27 Can any of you add a single cubit to his height by worrying? 28 And why do you worry about clothes? Learn how the wildflowers of the field grow: they don’t labor or spin thread. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these! 30 If that’s how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won’t He do much more for you—you of little faith? 31 So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32 For the idolaters eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. 34 Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. 


But this passage was already brought to mind before the GLS so while it is a great passage it’s not really the one I was to focus on.


I decided to take a closer look at the phrase that captured my attention on Friday. 
  
Go bloom where you are planted 

 Hmmm, in order to bloom you must be planted. 


Get planted…Roots 


We live in a transitory world. They say the average adult changes their job 5-7 times in their life. The Department of Labor statistics show that by age 42 you will probably have had 10 jobs. The days of our parents and grandparents working 30-40-50 years in one job are gone. We are always moving. The world seems to be moving faster and faster.


In the church there is a similar phenomenon. Did the Pastor speak a difficult message that doesn’t meet with the changing cultural attitudes? Did the worship just not feel right? Did someone take your parking spot? Too often people will take offense at something and just get up and go. This cycle of going from church, to church, to church hinders spiritual growth. 


The church in Acts was relational, Acts 2:42-47 (NIV). There were no lone ranger Christians. 


42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. 


If God has placed you in a spirit-filled church stick and stay, put down roots, and let God plant you. He is the gardener after all. Oh, there will be issues at times, we are human after all, but put down roots, it is the only way you can grow. If you are not in a spirit-filled church, I pray you find one. 


Planted in what...Soil 


Wildflowers are planted in soil. What type of soil leads to growth? Fertile, Good Soil. Mark 4:1-9, 13-20 


Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large that he got into a boat and sat in it out on the lake, while all the people were along the shore at the water’s edge. 2 He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: 3 “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times.” 9 Then Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” 


13 Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? 14 The farmer sows the word. 15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown.” 


Stay in the Word, put down roots and stay in the word. Read the bible, pray and talk with God, listen to the Holy Spirit. If we stay grounded in Christ and spend time with Him, we will grow. 


Bloom, like a wildflower 


As you grow in the good soil you will bloom reaching your full potential in Christ. Your bloom will be pleasing and lovely like a wildflower, a beautiful aroma rising to the throne. Your life will bring hope, peace, and Christ to those who need Him. 


Go bloom where you are planted. God has a plan for you, you beautiful wildflower. 

In days to come Jacob will take root, Israel will bud and blossom and fill all the world with fruit. Isaiah 27:6

(Oh, as far as the song Picking Wildflowers is concerned, it turns out it is not germane to this blog post and the music isn’t finished yet so it will have to wait to see the light of day. I also need to learn to play penny whistle or find someone who does.)

Comfort Zones / Walking By Faith

I haven't post a blog in 4 months. I've been writing, but nothing for the blog. I'm not dead yet, so here's to a more active couple months I hope.

I love my comfort zone. It’s comfortable. Sometimes there is nothing better than after a long day of work to come home to a nice comfortable environment where everything is comfortable. Yes, I overused the word comfortable four times in the first three sentences, but I am making a point. Comfort zones are by definition comfy. We all have them, and sometimes we cling to them like Linus to his blanket. I was curious so I looked up the definition in the dictionary.

Merriam-Webster defines Comfort Zone as follows a place, situation, or level where someone feels confident and comfortable

The Cambridge Dictionary defines it as a situation in which you feel comfortable and in which your ability and determination are not being tested: (Italics and bold mine)

I found this quote on the internet that I liked also. Alasdair A. K. White in "From Comfort Zone to Performance Management” says, “The comfort zone is a psychological state in which a person feels familiar, at ease, in control and experiences low anxiety and stress. In the zone a steady level of performance is possible.”
 
I’d been praying for months asking God for direction in one area of my life. I initially missed the signs he provided because I was looking for big super spiritual revelations and He provided quiet, practical answers that I originally missed. (This subject may evolve into its own blog post) Once I got on the same page with God I sensed that he was asking me walk by faith. As typical with the Lord, he had to show me this a few times in different ways because I am analytical and like to overthink things. Sometimes I even overthink about overthinking.

For we walk by faith, not by sight. – 2 Corinthians 5:7 (ESV)

Walking by faith requires us to get out of our comfort zones. In this life if we stay in our comfort zones there will be no growth. In the preface to Be Obedient, Warren Wiersbe says

“In a world filled with insecurity and uncertainty, we must learn to walk by faith, or our lives will fall apart. This applies to all of God’s children, regardless of how old we are or how long we have walked with the Lord.

Living by faith means obeying God’s Word in spite of feelings, circumstances, or consequences. It means holding on to God’s truth no matter how heavy the burden or how dark the day, knowing that He is working out His perfect plan.
It means living by promises and not by explanations.

I love that last sentence! God didn’t tell me what would happen when I stepped out in faith He only told me to do it. What He was showing me was way, way, way out of my comfort zone. How far out of my comfort zone was I, you may ask. Well, let me tell you. I am typing this blog in Cheektowaga NY, a suburb of Buffalo NY. Geographically speaking, if I am located here in Cheektowaga, my comfort zone would be say in Albany. I was so far out of it I couldn’t even see it.

Whenever I want to study walking by faith I turn to Hebrews 11. It’s the Hall of Faith chapter.

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)

"Now faith is assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1 (ESV)

The Message Bible says it this way.

The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. Hebrews 11:1 (MSG)

Using just a portion of Abraham’s story as an example.

8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

11 By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore. – Hebrews 11:8-12 (NIV)

Do I have faith like that? Can I step out of my comfort zone and walk by faith? Can I follow God and remain comfortable when I don’t know what’s next? Can I take one step at a time and wait for Him to shine a light the next.

As I learned in the days after I left my comfort zone and walked by faith His purpose was getting me out of my comfort zone and less about the answer to the questions I’d been asking. I guess you could say the journey is more important than the destination at this time.

As I stepped out in faith God did not promise a result or resolution. His only promise to me was he’d be there when I took the step, and he’ll be there for you too.