New book begins next week! I am Looking forward to all your great insights!
-Reid
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Saturday, October 19, 2013
trusting
As I finish this book, two things stand out to me, both on page 143. First - Jesus says in Hebrews 2:13: "Here I am..." That says it all. I have always - always - felt His presence with me, as a little child, as a "maturing" adult. He is here, with me. And He is also with my children and grandchildren in Idaho, and with my children in Colorado, and with my husband on a business trip to the other side of the world. Which leads me to my second point: TRUST. This is one of the simplest things to do, yet also the most difficult...how do I really trust as I am here alone, as my family is so far away...I think it gets down to control. I don't have any control over my family - not that I ever really did! But God does, indeed, have that control. So to leave them in His hands, and simply trust, is what is required of me. And then, I do know, whatever happens - He is here, and there.
So, my focus now needs to be on these words from page 143 (and I will TRY to remember them):
"To trust God is the greatest act of worship. To trust the Father is the greatest response that we can give to the revelation of the Father. The Father deserves trust. Given who He is, He deserves the trust of humanity. In every circumstance. At every moment. Not to trust is a huge affront to His glory. Not to trust is to say, 'You are really not as good as You claim to be; You are not as faithful, merciful, powerful as You claim to be.' Trust is the highest form of worship."
So, my focus now needs to be on these words from page 143 (and I will TRY to remember them):
"To trust God is the greatest act of worship. To trust the Father is the greatest response that we can give to the revelation of the Father. The Father deserves trust. Given who He is, He deserves the trust of humanity. In every circumstance. At every moment. Not to trust is a huge affront to His glory. Not to trust is to say, 'You are really not as good as You claim to be; You are not as faithful, merciful, powerful as You claim to be.' Trust is the highest form of worship."
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Losing at Winning, Winning at Losing - Who is Jesus Wrap up
Final Post - Who is Jesus?
Hide and Seek ranks as one of the top games my three year old Son Caleb loves to play. What's funny about Caleb's slant on the game is the way he scores the game. For Caleb the joy of the game is not being successfully hidden but instead the joy is being successfully and immediately found. As soon as the counting stops he is squeaking and chirping so that I find him as soon as possible. Caleb's version of hide and seek is foolishness to how I've been trained to play the game of hide and seek or any other game.
Crazy Caleb would rather score points for the other team (me the seeker.) Who does that? Why does Caleb choose to lose the game?
Well, Caleb is so drunk with joy at being united with His father (me, the seeker) that all other score cards (successfully hiding and winning the game) are tossed out. Winning the contest is far, far secondary to communing in His Father’s love. In the game, he’d rather DIE a LOSER in order to LIVE a WINNER at intimacy with His dad.
In Christ, I see the same boldness, confidence, passion, & radiant surrender in the last chapter of Who is Jesus?
Like Caleb, when playing hide and seek with God the Father Jesus says in Hebrews 2:13, ““Here I am, and the children God has given me.”
Darrell Johnson writes, “Do you hear what Jesus is saying? Those steeped in the Bible, in the Old Testament, as the author of Hebrews would have heard it loud and clear. “Here I am.” The Father is finally getting an answer to the very first question He asked humanity. In the Garden, in the Garden which had become a Cemetery because of the sin of Adam and Eve, in the castle where the princes and princesses had rebelled, God calls out, “where are you?” And the humans hid from God, afraid to come out from behind the trees. “Where are you?” “Here I am.” “Here I am,” says the representative human. “Here I am,” says God the Son as one of us. “Here I am,” says the One who is us! “Here I am – and all the children You have given Me.”
Knowing that Christ hides with me and cries out with me is what sports analysts would call a “game changer.” This game changer gives me the assurance to honestly ask myself,
Hey Steve, are you hiding in the garden?
Hey Steve, do you need to play hide and seek with Jesus and have Him hide with you so that He can cry out with you – HERE I AM?
And Steve, how does it feel to know in those moments of confusion when perhaps you don’t even want Jesus, he wants you & pursues you & cries out for you when you’re too spent & ashamed to ask for help? (Romans 5:8)
When I think of my son Caleb and how he loses the competition to win at love, I can hear Christ’s gospel proclaimed over Caleb and me when Christ says, “the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these (little children)." (Mathew 19:14)
Hide and Seek ranks as one of the top games my three year old Son Caleb loves to play. What's funny about Caleb's slant on the game is the way he scores the game. For Caleb the joy of the game is not being successfully hidden but instead the joy is being successfully and immediately found. As soon as the counting stops he is squeaking and chirping so that I find him as soon as possible. Caleb's version of hide and seek is foolishness to how I've been trained to play the game of hide and seek or any other game.
Crazy Caleb would rather score points for the other team (me the seeker.) Who does that? Why does Caleb choose to lose the game?
Well, Caleb is so drunk with joy at being united with His father (me, the seeker) that all other score cards (successfully hiding and winning the game) are tossed out. Winning the contest is far, far secondary to communing in His Father’s love. In the game, he’d rather DIE a LOSER in order to LIVE a WINNER at intimacy with His dad.
In Christ, I see the same boldness, confidence, passion, & radiant surrender in the last chapter of Who is Jesus?
Like Caleb, when playing hide and seek with God the Father Jesus says in Hebrews 2:13, ““Here I am, and the children God has given me.”
Darrell Johnson writes, “Do you hear what Jesus is saying? Those steeped in the Bible, in the Old Testament, as the author of Hebrews would have heard it loud and clear. “Here I am.” The Father is finally getting an answer to the very first question He asked humanity. In the Garden, in the Garden which had become a Cemetery because of the sin of Adam and Eve, in the castle where the princes and princesses had rebelled, God calls out, “where are you?” And the humans hid from God, afraid to come out from behind the trees. “Where are you?” “Here I am.” “Here I am,” says the representative human. “Here I am,” says God the Son as one of us. “Here I am,” says the One who is us! “Here I am – and all the children You have given Me.”
Knowing that Christ hides with me and cries out with me is what sports analysts would call a “game changer.” This game changer gives me the assurance to honestly ask myself,
Hey Steve, are you hiding in the garden?
Hey Steve, do you need to play hide and seek with Jesus and have Him hide with you so that He can cry out with you – HERE I AM?
And Steve, how does it feel to know in those moments of confusion when perhaps you don’t even want Jesus, he wants you & pursues you & cries out for you when you’re too spent & ashamed to ask for help? (Romans 5:8)
When I think of my son Caleb and how he loses the competition to win at love, I can hear Christ’s gospel proclaimed over Caleb and me when Christ says, “the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these (little children)." (Mathew 19:14)
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Who Is Jesus = Who is Reid
Listening to the Father say Who Jesus is has encouraged me to listen to the Father and Jesus say who I am!!! Ok, I know this is about Jesus but reading through Hebrews and hearing the Father and Jesus talk about each other makes it really hard to not hear them talk about who we are! Because who they are makes us who we are!!!!!!
Jesus is/was a glass case of the Father's Character!
Looking at Jesus, hearing the Father say who Jesus is actually reveals who the Father is! I am having a hard time using words trying to describe the Word become flesh.
I want to thank everyone for the last 9 weeks and the journey we took together via Who Is Jesus. I don't know about you, but for me this study has helped me see Jesus in a "more real" way throughout the day. I believe the study helped me see Him and hear Him more clearly. I am reminded that relationship with Jesus is not a study or a program - it is a person! My encouragement and challenge to you and I is to continue pressing into the person of Jesus like never before. There is no doubt in my mind teacher, mentors, and students will need "John-like" figures to their "Peter-like" responses to Jesus (the study from the training week before school started). And more importantly our Peter-like responses will demand a need for a John-like mentor team to never give up on each other......... "It is the Lord Jon, It is the Lord Dottie, It is the Lord Michelle, It is the Lord Mike, It is the Lord Kathy, It is the Lord Dan, It is the Lord Steve, It is the Lord Reid!"
Always pointing each other to Jesus when we ourselves cannot recognize Him. If we want the students to experience Jesus - it starts with the us Mentors!
-Reid
Jesus is/was a glass case of the Father's Character!
Looking at Jesus, hearing the Father say who Jesus is actually reveals who the Father is! I am having a hard time using words trying to describe the Word become flesh.
I want to thank everyone for the last 9 weeks and the journey we took together via Who Is Jesus. I don't know about you, but for me this study has helped me see Jesus in a "more real" way throughout the day. I believe the study helped me see Him and hear Him more clearly. I am reminded that relationship with Jesus is not a study or a program - it is a person! My encouragement and challenge to you and I is to continue pressing into the person of Jesus like never before. There is no doubt in my mind teacher, mentors, and students will need "John-like" figures to their "Peter-like" responses to Jesus (the study from the training week before school started). And more importantly our Peter-like responses will demand a need for a John-like mentor team to never give up on each other......... "It is the Lord Jon, It is the Lord Dottie, It is the Lord Michelle, It is the Lord Mike, It is the Lord Kathy, It is the Lord Dan, It is the Lord Steve, It is the Lord Reid!"
Always pointing each other to Jesus when we ourselves cannot recognize Him. If we want the students to experience Jesus - it starts with the us Mentors!
-Reid
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