It Gives Me Pause

I have been absent of late. There is no excuse for my absence other than a few life setbacks that have challenged my time management each day, and it took a little settling within and a few friends prodding me that it has been long enough to pause, take a breath, get my thoughts together, and get back to work. I thank them for using a velvet hammer to get the message across to me. I am humbled, to say the least.

I recently read that “Sin is not just the wrong stuff we do; it’s the good we do not do.” It can be interpreted this way,” “Every choice we make, and every action matters to someone. Every choice we do not make and every action we do not take matters just as much.” Amen? 

Our grandson is very interested in the creatures of the world. He loves anything that crawls, climbs, jumps, spends a web, flies, anyway, you get the drift; he likes bugs, lizards, spiders, snakes, and so forth. His four sisters loathe all these creatures and do not want anything to do with them: perfect situation for a big brother. He will spend hours in an animated state of observation when he encounters one of these creatures, especially turtles. When he finds one of these creatures, he just cannot look away; he is totally focused on its movement and actions. Then he finds some reference in a book or a documentary and learns all about the creature, and when I visit, I get an education on the life and activities of the latest find. Good stuff if you like creepy crawlies. Good stuff if you like to spend quality time with a grandson, just saying. 

The thing that most amazes me is his seamless delivery of information. He has studied these creatures and knows everything about them down to the smallest detail. As I listen, it gives me pause. 

This reminds me of something I read about PAUSE and studying our Bibles. The acronym for PAUSE:

P – Prepare your heart. Start your quiet time by reciting Psalm 131:1-2. Visualize everything competing for our attention into a box, then give the box to God to handle for us.

A – Ask God to speak to You. Before we dive into our Bible study, ask God to help us understand His Word and how to apply the scripture correctly to our life. We know He promised to give us His wisdom if we ask.

U – Unpack the passage. When was the passage written? Who was the intended audience? What was the main theme? What does the passage show you about God’s character? As we begin the study, we should read through the passage several times, each time answering a different question. Pay attention to any phrases and ideas that continue to stand out to us.

S – Summarize the scripture. What resonated with us as we were reading? Spend several minutes asking God to show us the truths in His Word, and then log the key takeaways from the passage. This will help us process and track the insights God offers us.

E – Exercise the application. If we want to grow stronger in our faith, it’s not enough to study God’s Word; we must live it!

As leaders in our homes, communities, and organizations, we must continue to make choices and take actions that matter to others. Our actions and reactions to daily events and life events tell the story of our life in Christ, which is important to others. We have only one choice to do what is right, do it right away, and do it the right way.

I encourage each of us to make a difference and add value to others by preparing our heart, asking God to speak to us, unpacking the message to simplify it for others to understand with our life’s walk and talk, summarizing the scripture to apply to real world events, and exercising the application of the Word for others to convey of the strength of faith, hope, joy, and unconditional love for others. As leaders, we should follow Solomon’s wisdom; give 70% of our time to areas of strength; give 25% of our time to areas to improve, and give 5% of our time to the areas of our weakness. 1 Kings 10:1-9.

Have a wonderful day, 

James Dodwell

An Open-Door Policy

Lately, I have been reminded more than once about the need to find time alone with God, encouragement to make this a priority daily. I’ve seen the reminders in print, heard the words in a sermon, and song. 

As disciples, we are the great cheerleaders of gathering. We are gatherers of people, excited to come together to share in a joy and love for our God. We encourage one another to be in worship, join a small group, serve on a team… These are incredibly important elements in our discipleship and without a doubt, we need to gather together, learn, and serve together in His name. But the picture is not complete without quiet, alone time with our great God. We have an open invitation from the very God that spoke to Moses from a mountaintop, split the sea, and resurrected our Jesus from the tomb. We’ve been invited into his presence for a personal relationship.with.God. He has an “open-door” policy designed especially for each of us to come often and individually. We can’t miss out on this. God is waiting for us to open the conversation, “Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you” Jeremiah 29:12-14

When we can’t or won’t take the time to make prayer/devotion time alone with God, there’s a problem to be dealt with. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in his book “Life Together,” reminds of the pitfalls of only finding God in community.

“Whoever cannot be alone should beware of community. Such people will only do harm to themselves and to the community. Alone you stood before God when God called you. Alone you had to obey God’s voice. Alone you had to take up your cross, struggle, and pray and alone you will die and give an account to God. You cannot avoid yourself, for it is precisely God who has singled you out. If you do not want to be alone, you are rejecting Christ’s call to you, and you can have no part in the community of those who are called.”

As we move forward, one step at a time, on our journey, may we remember to gather one on one with our Father in heaven regularly, intentionally, and thankfully.

Tammy

"We the imperfect seeking the perfect" - Brother Mike Densmore

A Follower's Thought

1 Kings 19: 11-13 says, "The Lord said, 'Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.' Then a great wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind, there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, 'What are you doing here, Elijah?'"
When I read this scripture in 1 Kings, I imagine myself in Elijah's shoes. God had called him out to be in his presence. Does God call you out to be in his presence? He calls me out daily to read his word. He calls me out to take walks with him, whether it be in the woods, on a hiking trail, in my own yard, or walking around doing my daily work. The point is that God calls. We must hear that call and respond. I will admit, there are times when I don't respond. I've come to know that usually, when I don't respond is when the noises of life drown out the quiet whisper of God, saying, "come be in my presence." Just like the scripture is describing. Elijah could not hear God in the wind, in the earthquake, nor in the fire. He heard him in the whisper. I find myself more and more seeking God's gentle whisper, especially when life's winds, earthquakes, and fires are drowning out God's voice. I hope each one of you will find the time this Holy Week to come into God's presence and hear His gentle whisper. Read your Bible, take that walk, find a quiet place to be in God's presence. You will be glad you did. God Bless.

Correll

Practicing the Presence All Day, Everyday

"You have your heads in your Bibles constantly because you think you'll find eternal life there. But you miss the forest for the trees. These Scriptures are all about me! And here I am, standing right before you, and you aren't willing to receive from me the life you say you want." John 39-40 (MSG)

Brother Mike begins Holy Week with a word on Practicing the Presence.