Brent Curtis asks, “If God is the author, producer, and director of this play, what kind of story is He telling?” The Sacred Romance. p. 54

There have been times in the course of my life when I have looked to Heaven and said “If this is the plan I think I could do better.”

The longer I have served Jesus, though, the better I have come to understand that His plans are often couched in the garb of  difficulty even faux-failure in order to set God’s enemies in disarray. Further His chosen path for me is designed to enlarge my life not my comfort. The life I would choose would keep me comfortable and happy but would do nothing to perfect my character or fulfill my potential.

It is the same with all of us. All of our hearts, plagued by sin, lead us astray and away from God’s intended purpose; So God weaves a story, a plan, around us that is large enough and tough enough for us to come to life in. We are forced either to run from God or submit to “God’s fierce intention to use both crippling and blessing to redeem us from our self-redemptive and purgatorial stories.” The Sacred Romance P. 66 

I see that the over large vision God gave me as 2013 began was ready-made to push me down a path towards healing. As I have accepted that the large story is just large enough for me to live in, the way is becoming easier. The strategies are becoming plain before me and I am coming to a new peace. The cost of the dream  does not outweigh the prosperity it promises.

Have you ever struggled with God’s plan? How did you work through it?

What a wonderful day yesterday was. I started the day with a very productive blogging session; I spent some time  playing with the puppies and praying. I had time to practice piano and then I took my daughter to the movies to see Oz the Great and Powerful. I got home had some supper and was getting ready to do some reading when I noticed the letter on my table. It had come in the afternoon post. The return address was from the Mass State Department of Revenue. Since I have already filed my taxes and they were e-filed with a direct deposit I knew right off what the letter was.

When I am on the highway I generally set my cruise control. It saves gas by keeping me at a steady pace and with it  I can always be sure I am within the speed limit. You know those moments when you are in cruise control, when you know because you’re in cruise you are within the limits of the law? Yet even knowing that, as soon as you see a State Police car in the distance your first instinct is to slam on the brakes and slow down because you fear you still could be caught doing something wrong. That is the exact feeling I had as I opened the assessment letter last night. I have been responsible with my taxes. I have an accountant who knows clergy tax law. I keep records and they are easily reproducible. Yet my first thought last night was “I am being audited! It’s the end of the world! I will owe my entire life’s savings and be destitute…out on the street!”

The world is full of evil reports. Evil reports are the threatenings and sometimes the realizations of trouble which a common occurrence in our universe. They are: the troubling doctors report, the divorce papers, the bad report card, the pink slip and a thousand other little messages that we are not safe in this world. Jesus went so far as to tell us..” In this world you will have trouble.” John 16:33

The question is not, “Will trouble or evil reports come?” The question is “What will we do with them when they arrive?”

We have some choices. We can:

1. Receive the evil report and give up. This choice leads us to fatalism…doing nothing  because we believe that the evil thing  is inevitable.

2. Receive the evil report and worry. This choice leads us to fear. With this choice we help the evil report to grow into a monster that consumes all of our life and feeds on our hope until we are nothing more than burned out shells. In this scenario we become paranoid self-fulfilling prophecies of the terrible things we fear.

3.  Hear the evil report but refuse to accept it on the basis of God’s promises. This choice leads us to radical faith that wrestles with God until He grants us a blessing.

The world is full of evil and evil reports. But it is also filled with the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. Jesus did say that in this world we would have trouble but He also said “Take heart for I have overcome the world!” John 16:33

I am not going to allow myself to worry about the tax assessment thingy I have coming up. In fact I am believing that this is going to turn out for my blessing and for a witness.

What helps you to disregard the evil reports in your life?

    It is hard to believe that Lent is better than half way over. I cannot wait for Resurrection Day. I am believing that God is going to do mighty miracles on that day to celebrate His victory over the grave! He is already performing so many wonderful things in my life. Everyday HE is bringing me some new form of healing or revelation.

 Today’s Scriptural meditation was from Titus 2: For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, ¹² training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, ¹³ waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, ¹⁴ who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good  works. Titus 2: 11-14 ESV

The grace of God is here with us right now. That grace is the power of God to do that which we could not do for ourselves. As we open ourselves to it grace trains us, schools us in how to live godly lives and those godly lives are for the here and now. You don’t have to wait until you get to Heaven to have victory over addictions or deep-seated wounds that cause bad behavior. The grace of God is present now to help you in this age. If grace can change me it can change you. Do not give up let His grace work on you a little while longer and you will see a change. You may have been born with a bent to sin but if you let Jesus in He will will tun you around so that you have a bent towards righteousness. No one is beyond His reach. No one!

Have you ever felt you were beyond God’s help? What did you do?

Winter Storm Saturn dumped another foot of snow on us last night; So the church office was closed this morning while we waited for our snowplows to arrive. Working from home gives me a bit more time to study, pray and network, a slower pace. Even being snowed in I found myself feeling rushed, pressed to accomplish more. Since the only rush this morning was to hurry up and watch the snow fall I think I must be generating my own stress. It begs the question, “How much of the stress I feel is placed on me from outside sources and how much is from my own expectations?”

Yet another matter for prayer…

How much stress do you place on yourself? Is any of that stress helpful?

Today’s quotes:

“You must learn to let go. Release the stress. You were never in control anyway.” 
―    Steve Maraboli

“To achieve great things, two things are needed: a plan and not quite enough time.” 
―    Leonard Bernstein

“In times of stress, the best thing we can do for each other is to listen with our ears and our hearts and to be assured that our questions are just as important as our answers.” 
―    Fred Rogers

And my favorite stress quote of all…

“We must have a pie.  Stress cannot exist in the presence of a pie.” 
―    David Mamet

My daily dose of revelation today came during our morning intercessory prayer meeting. On Thursdays I run the sound board and Pastor Brad, our youth pastor, runs the meeting. We shared the needs from our congregation and missionaries.  Brad shared his devotional and then released us into private prayer for about 20 minutes before calling us together to pray over the needs.

As I settled into my spot in the sunlight I heard God tell me , “Just be still and know that I am God.”

As I wandered down the holy rabbit hole deeper into the presence of God the Lord began to show me that fulfillment in life comes from obedience to God’s plan and not from results. He showed me that I am called to the journey of ministry and that I am wired in my inmost being to receive satisfaction from obeying that calling. He showed me that when I pursue the calling, satisfaction comes from the proper pursuit NOT from the fruit.

All my life I have been taught that success and satisfaction lie in reaching the goal and the goal is to outdo everyone else. I see now when that relative said “J. will never be a success nor will he be able to take care of himself.”  He was speaking out of his paradigm that success and caring for oneself meant having the most and being better than everyone else; Because of this I have understood excellence only in the context of competition and so I had no need for excellence because I didn’t want to compete with anyone.

The Lord has shown me, though, that excellence is found not in reaching the goal ahead of everyone else or better than everyone else. In fact excellence does not deal directly with the goal at all. It deals with the way I walk this journey. Excellence deals with how fully I obey the calling of God. Excellence is found in being true to God in living. I see if I can just be true to the calling…if I can just focus on following God I will be satisfied and God himself will take care of the results. How liberating is that?!?