by | Faith Lived Out
photo credit: donald macleod (creative commons)
Have you ever had to beg?
I mean really beg?
Like standing on the street corner asking for food to eat because it had been three days and you were starving. Or holding up a sign needing work because you got laid off and needed money to put shoes on your kids’ feet.
I’m blessed to say I haven’t.
But I met someone who has.
Okay – I didn’t actually meet him. I was introduced to him in Mark 10:46-52. His name is Bartimaeus and he was a beggar.
In the days of Jesus, seeing beggars on the side of the road was very common. So many of the jobs back then were physical and anyone with a crippling disease or some form of disability were at a disadvantage. They were usually forced to beg.
Did I mention he was blind too?
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by | Faith Lived Out
Yesterday I was driving home from a meeting. I don’t usually have that long of a commute, so I enjoyed the time to just think.
photo credit: creative commons
I started wondering what it would be like to have children. What would be required to sacrifice for my kids? How much did my mom really sacrifice for me? There aren’t enough trees in the world to write out the list I’m sure.
Then I began to wonder what it would be like to lose a child. I buried my father almost three years ago and that was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. I can’t even imagine having to bury my own child; a precious treasure that I gave birth to. Mothers bury their children everyday. Most, I would assume are unexpected, unplanned deaths. Whether it’s a newborn baby or a grown man, I would imagine it’s as equally hard.
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by | Faith Lived Out
photo credit: cindy (creative commons)
This past Sunday, our pastor preached one amazing sermon. He discussed the work Jesus sent His disciples to do in Matthew 10. Jesus sent the men on a mission and there were probably times when fear filled them.
Pastor Ted Cunningham nailed it when he said:
“Don’t fear hell. Fear the one who can send you there.
Enough said.
At the end of the sermon he called people to surrender their lives to Christ. He announced the prayer team would be available to pray with people in their new decision to walk in Christianity. I stood by the sign that pointed to the prayer room.
Nothing.
Not one person walked that way. My heart immediately began to get critical. There are a thousand people here and not one person is convicted to accept Christ after that sermon? How ridiculous.
Before our usual between service prayer meetings, I had an errand to run. I was still letting angry, judgmental thoughts fill my mind as I hurried to make it to the prayer meeting to offer up my prayers with the rest of the team. When I walked into the room, there was a gentleman sitting on the couch learning about Jesus and what it was like to receive Him.
Conviction hit me like a ton of bricks. It must have been the morning for that as I was reminded earlier that morning that I was a hypocrite. Here I was judging people for not coming forward to receive prayer, and here sat a man crying, ready to surrender it all because he feared hell and felt Jesus drawing him closer. He received Christ and we all stood around him and prayed for his new journey into Christianity. It was a great celebration.
God’s whisper in my heart reminded me that it’s not about the number. If that one man was the only person to accept Jesus that morning, that was one more person than the week before.
We are to celebrate one just the same as we would celebrate 100.
I quickly allowed myself to have expectations of others that I had no control over. Because of that, I temporarily gave up on the belief that everything happens in God’s time. Just because the gentlemen didn’t walk up when I was standing by the door, didn’t mean God didn’t have a plan.
He’s rarely early but He is never late.
What expectations have you let get in the way of trusting in God’s timing? Comment below…
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by | Faith Lived Out, Life Application
I originally wrote this blog post in August and it meant a lot to others, so I thought I would share it again.
Have you ever met that one person in your life that simply looked at you and you felt changed? Their smile made you long for a deeper relationship with Christ. Their hugs gave you a feeling of safety you never knew existed.
I want to introduce you to someone. Someone who has done this for me.
Meet Ted…
December 2006
I met him when I walked into Woodland Hills Family Church as a lost sheep roaming through this world having no idea I needed a Shepard.
Ted was the first person that introduced himself and gave me a hug. I wasn’t a huggy person then, so the fact that he got close enough to do it was definitely from God. I had never experienced anything quite like that. Only one word can describe it – safe.
Over the course of the next six months I watched Ted’s actions. His words inspired, but his actions did more. His smile inspired me. To see a grown man stand on stage and cry when discussing his faith made me long for something like that. The way his heart reached out to others allowed me to see a form of authenticity I had never seen before. I wanted that.
Six months after meeting Ted for the first time and receiving that unforgettable hug, I cried out to Jesus in the middle of my office and gave him my life. I wanted what Ted had.
As I began a new journey in my life, Ted walked with me through it. He gave me truth. He showed me what love from Jesus was. He showed me the heart of a man I had never seen before.
December 2008
Ted prayed with me as I traveled to spend the last days with my dying father.
February 2009
Ted led the funeral of my dad and gave a sermon that brought tears to the eyes of alcoholics, drug addicts, and many lost people that gathered in that room to mourn the loss of my father. Ted didn’t just help me mourn. He helped me celebrate. Because my dad came to know the Lord on his death bed, Ted was able to share that story with others.
At the end of my dad’s funeral, five people raised their hands as Ted invited them to accept Christ into their hearts.
I’ll never forget the words he said to me.
“You’re dad did more for others in his death than he did in his life. Let’s celebrate.”
August 2009
His jeep pulled up at my apartment and as I met him downstairs dressed in a beer stained shirt, swollen eyes from tears, and a broken heart, he said words that changed my life.
“I’m not your father. I’m not your grandfather. But I’m going to talk to you like you’re my daughter. You need help and I love you too much to watch you do this to yourself.”
Two hours later he hugged me as I got in the vehicle to head to The Table Rock Freedom Center.
February 2010
He baptized me with the look of a proud father on his face.
August 2010
He sat in the front row as I shared my story of how God had changed my life as I graduated from TRFC. We also celebrated our over 100 pound weight loss.
August 2011
We sat at our favorite little diner, Clocker’s Cafe in downtown Branson and talked about the changes God had made in our lives. We shared stories. We shared silent moments of bittersweet memories. That feeling of safety came back as I dipped my spoon in the hot oatmeal and allowed myself to be vulnerable with the man who made me want to be more like Jesus.
If you’ve never met Ted, I hope someday you do. His smile will captivate you. His heart will bring tears to your eyes. His words will challenge you. You can’t walk away the same as before.
Is there a Ted in your life? Comment below…
by | Faith Lived Out
When I signed up for this thing called following Christ, I had no idea what was in store for me. I didn’t know the extent of which I would be judged. I didn’t know people would walk away because of my faith. I didn’t know Christianity would be so danged hard. For anyone who says it’s easy, I highly recommend you check again.
I’m guest blogging over at my friend Jennifer White’s blog as part of the “Because of Jesus” series.
Because of Jesus… family has disowned me.
Read the rest here..
by | Faith Lived Out
photo credit: get down (creative commons)
If you missed yesterday’s post, I discussed the passion of the prostituete who wept at Jesus’ feet in Luke 7. So often instead of showing the gratitude this woman showed, we become religious and indifferent. Instead of showing compassion, we can quickly turn to judgment.
I was recently asked a question in church that caused me to put down my free coffee, sit up in my comfortable theatre-style seat and swallow the conviction that was being served.
What if we got a sin statement every month just like a bank statement?
Wow! What if every month I received my sin statement in the mail, listing my sins for the previous month only, and the balance that I owed? Instead of looking at my own sin statement, I can easily find myself skimming over others’ statements.
Look what she did last month. I can’t even believe he went there. She said that?
We don’t get a sin statement in the mail and we never will. Why? Because Jesus Christ paid our debts. He gave everything so that we owe nothing.Do you get how powerful that truly is? Some days I don’t grasp it because I’m too busy, like Simon, worrying about the prostitute wasting time.
But again, Jesus put Simon in his place. He didn’t offer water to wash Jesus’s feet. He didn’t greet Jesus with a kiss. He didn’t anoint Jesus’ head. But this lost woman, desperate for something more than she had, risked everything to encounter the one she knew could save her.
Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven…. Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
I’m thinking my sin statement would look something like this:
- You murdered someone with your words – guilty
- You coveted another man’s things – guilty
- You lied – guilty
- You had bitterness in your heart – guilty
- Unclean words came from your mouth – guilty
You get the idea…
Am I standing at the feet of Jesus truly grateful that I don’t have to stare at this statement every month, or do I just keep going in the daily routines of life, with the entitlement that Jesus takes care of it all?
What can we learn from this woman? Comment below…
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