Blessed Days...In His Hands: October 2019

"Real response. Real God. Worship

Campfire

Ghost stories in his stands become Holy Ghost stories.

God has an untamed wild heart.

Fight fear by developing courage

No longer want to be half alive

Give up our lives
All are welcome to campfire

No need to stay in the cold. Worship is a community project.

Campfire heart"

I saw this video about the campfire as a place where you can let down your guard, be in fellowship, all in the name of Jesus. It so exemplified what I wanted out of a Bible study group I started, now in our second year. I have been a part and hosted many Bible studies in my years and in this season I wanted community, I wanted to see actual growth, and I wanted to walk with one another in our faith being vulnerable and showing up each week for one another.

And that is what we have been trying to do. We hear each others stories, we talk about the Bible, occasionally we read books, we ask questions, and we do it all in the name of Jesus. Not every week is awe inspiring, not everyone always shows up, but we sit before one another and try to be open about where we are and find hope and encouragement.

In campfire. I have been thinking about change.

Plants grow (& die), babies learn new words, dust builds, seasons come and go, landscape transforms, words revise, counters become either organized or disordered, and pajamas shorten.

Nothing really stays the same and yet it seems this idea of change somehow seems to become stunted when we deal with the human heart, working through pain, or our faith walk with God.

The tenacity of old wounds haunts and painful words and deeds replay again and again. But I want to keep believing that freedom from emotional bondage is possible and we don’t have to wait until we fly away to find joy and peace in this journey. And I want to believe as Christians we don’t have to live an “Eeyore” existence.

I have hoped that through this campfire experience that we won’t just fill an evening only with good insights, more knowledge, and a lot of Amen’s…but that we will be changed and moved closer to God, knowing and enjoying Him and seeing who He can be in our life.

Listening to John Marc Comer, I have been hearing that change is possible and life with God is dynamic, real, and powerful…and practical. John Mark speaks on the idea that "we are transformed by Spirit and Truth, which he gives other words to in Presence and Meaning. This is both us and God doing a work. God is Spirit and Truth and we come in with the work of practice and community.

We can have regular practices that open us up to a rich life with God. Whose responsibility is it to curate our thought life to Jesus…us. We are in charge of our own mind and body.

Every morning I can ask, God what would be pleasing to you? And allow Him to fill my imagination. I can’t flip a switch and will my way there, that only lasts for so long. I can set aside time with God each day, listen to a podcast, read a Psalm in the morning, pray. I can say, Good morning Father. That is a practice.

Do it long enough and do it in community and God will transform you from the inside out. Jesus will transform us if we say Yes…but that might be turning off Netflix one night or being aware of what we are watching.

The Opposite is lies and isolation and the Father of Lies wants to keep us in that trap."

And in November:

"The whole reason I started this group was To live authentically in community and have Jesus come alive in our lives.

We began this group simply asking one another to make space for Jesus in our days. With a journal in hand & scripture in hand meditating on familiar psalms and then the invitation to not have an allocated Scripture but each time we stopped allowing His words to soak in us. That was kind of scary for some of us but we saw good things begin to happen.

We have continued in this same vein while building intimacy in the group.

We are still here and now I have some new words to frame the same intention we have had since the beginning. I shared with you guys a couple weeks ago how I have been ministered to by John Mark Commer’s sermons.

He speaks of being with Jesus, becoming like Jesus, and doing what Jesus did.

The idea is that change and fullness of life with Jesus is possible and I am so thirsty for that. And I want to look at this in community with you all.

I feel the Holy Spirit is wooing me and beckoning me to more and if I don’t leap into this, it will pass me by. Sure I’ll be okay but I want more than okay.

Part of this beckoning has encompasses being aware of my shortcomings, my sin. That is really painful for a good girl like me but I think that is part of the plan of showing me my need for a Savior.

So for tonight and next week and in future weeks we are going to circle around this idea of transformation and change. New don’t need more of Him just remove the barriers to him. "