christian author and speaker

Will the Church Rise Up and Be the Church?

/ Jana / 1 Comment

So I have to ask. Have any of your pastors paused for a moment “during church” to pray for the evil of the moment? Has anyone, as the shepherd of the flock, given Godly instruction on how to prepare for the days we are living in? I am not talking fear and panic, or blissfully vague.  I’m talking about instructions on how to stand in the power and authority of our Risen King and how to defend and diffuse the attacks on our country, family and faith.

Now more than ever, we don’t need to look to the government to rescue us. Yes they should— according to our Constitution. Will they? That remains to be seen. But the government is not our Savior. Now more than ever, people need to see the Church rise up in confident faith in the God who is and was and is to come.  We must wake up. Stand up and lead. We must be the agents of peace and His divine Grace.

I am concerned that the church is, collectively, more focused on:

  • Distractions about buildings, budgets, and attendance
  • Criticisms about other Christians who may not be doing church in the same way, or are even “heretical” in their view
  • Programs and entertainment within our “four walls”
  • Territories, turf wars, and who gets the credit.

There seems to be a general confusion on what it means to be a Christ follower and still defend your family. The unasked questions hover in an uncomfortable way— “Is it Christian to protect yourself and family from harm, or, does ‘turning the other cheek’ apply here?” Can I love Muslims  in the name of Jesus and still want stop ISIS?  What’s more, there is an odd denial that our children could ever be at risk of murder just for claiming the name of Jesus.

I say again. We must wake up. Stand up and lead. We must be the agents of peace and His divine Grace.IMG_8936

Please hear me.   I am compelled by a Holy Roar that we must walk in the Truth we have been given. To do that we must rightly frame our lives from God’s perspective and prepare accordingly.

Nothing New Under the Sun, And Yet

ISIS is driven by the same murderous spirit that has roamed the earth from the beginning. But it still is the very real evil of our day. So what are going to do about it? What is the church preparing for? Is our goal only salvation of souls— so that when we get killed we will all go to heaven? Is that it?

I hope not.

All through history God raised up mighty warriors who did the unthinkable: faced unspeakable odds in remarkable times. Let me refresh your memory.

  • The Hebrew Children in Egypt.
  • David.
  • Gideon.
  • People of the Catacombs.
  • Luther.
  • Corrie Ten Boom.
  • Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
  • Present Day Children in Iraq and Syria.
  • And so many more…

All of these people were just like us. No more. No less. And when evil invaded their realities they had the same fear, same faith, same need for God to show up Big on their behalf. And He did. We do well to review their  stories of faith and might as we face the very real darkness and danger.

Faith in Action

One striking thing about each of these heroes of the our faith is that they took action. Risky, costly, prayer-filled action. So can we!

  •  What if churches and their leaders organized  a community prayer time? Opened the doors, linked arms, invited all denominations in and prayed for the peace of God to rule and to guide in these days. What if we offered our non-religious community a place of rest and comfort?
  • What if churches and their leaders stopped every Sunday to speak the name of Jesus over the slaughter and destruction? I mean actually  deviate from the “agenda” to acknowledge the issues.  I often pray for the worldwide church during worship on Sunday mornings because I know many churches all over the country are meeting. So what if we all collectively commanded the darkness to flee?
  • What if churches and their leaders talked about martyrdom and what it is and How it is? I remember hearing stories from China and Romania who have and still suffer from extreme persecution. One pastor said, “persecution is good for the church.”  How so?

Because we tend to shed access baggage when our lives are on the line. Boiling your whole life’s worth down to one person, Jesus,  makes things incredibly simple. Jesus plus nothing. Are we leading this radical life as churches?

I wonder when does “something” become important enough to interrupt “our regularly scheduled program.” Are we even remembering our fallen brothers and sisters at all?

I wonder are we so busy “protecting our children from upsetting news” that we are not preparing them to stand? You can be sure that parents in war zones are telling their children life and death reality. Children are dying just because they love Jesus.  How will our children stand if they don’t even know?

God Is Working Always

I would like to offer some thoughts God has given to me as I have been interceding.  I have poured out my heart and said, “Father, how do we walk in these days? How do we advance the Kingdom instead of hiding in fear?” These are things He has  revealed to me.

1) Prepare to be generous. Every time there is a crisis, fear drives people to do crazy things. So stock up and prepare to share your blessings. Whether that is faith or food, peace or shelter, be ready to give from your abundance.

2) Prepare to be courageous.  God is still on His Throne therefore we walk in a bold hope and confidence. Courage is not the absence of fear, but doing the brave thing even though you are afraid. Now is the time speak up and speak out about the heinous acts we are witnessing. It’s not someone else’s problem to fix. It’s ours.

3) Prepare to be heard. God has established a governmental system. So we need to call and email our Senators and Representatives. They need to hear from us that we expect them to do the right thing.  Often Christians abdicate civil duties because they don’t like who is in office. Do it anyway. Remember? Of the people, by the people, for the people.

4) Prepare to be well loved.  Over and over, Jesus said, ‘never will I leave you.” God has been faithful to every generation and He will be faithful to us as well. Look for His Goodness and His Protection in the smallest of ways.  He loves us with an everlasting love and I think if we talked to those who have walked through these horrible situations, we would hear that “they overcame the accuser by the Blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony.” God will meet us in our need.

Sisters and Brothers, let us shake off complacency and comfort zones.  We must rise up. Pray without ceasing. Encourage your pastors. , Call your elected officials. Talk to your children. Love God in all circumstances.  Love your enemies.  Amen and Amen.

“Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations…” Matthew 24

 

 

Tuesday is the Day for New Class— “I Need More…”

/ Jana / Leave a comment

Soooo. Nothing like a little stumble to keep you humble. In my thrill of making announcements I missed one little glaring detail. I am not available on many Mondays. IMG_8441

So here is the UPDATED new announcement. And I am still super thrilled to get to be with God’s women.

I really feel like God is calling His women to an awakening. So many I talk to are really frayed, dried out or tied up in knots. He is wanting us to come sit in His presence for a deep breath, a new perspective, a safe place to heal. He wants us to come into the deeper waters for life.

“I Need More…”  is a new class that begins September 16 through November. We will meet every other TUESDAY night at Greenbrier Club House, from 6:30-8:30. The address is 1505 Greenbrier Ridge Way, Knoxville, TN 37909.  Very convenient at the Papermill exit off I-40.

What you can expect: soaking worship, the presence of the Lord, other hungry women who want more of God, and real life topics. It’s for women who have that yearn in their gut for something better, deeper; for women have gone numb; for women who need some freedom finally; for women who are ready to go to the next level.

Please pray with me that the women who are hungry will come, and thank God with me that He will feed those who do.

When You think You Need More Money…

/ Jana / 1 Comment

I have a lot of wealthy friends.  We live in really different financial spheres and  sometimes the money gap is comical.  For example,  I was thrilled to go to Florida and one friend vacationed at  a Mediterranean  oasis.  I bought a new house (that I love!) and one friend bought a new house that makes my house look like her bonus room.  Another  friend  eloquently remarked, “Jana I live in a land with lots of zeros, so I  am not worried about the cost of this.”

I laughed out loud. I can’t even imagine making such a statement.

The odd thing though is my wealthy friends also make heart-wrenching comments.  Two of them said  recently that they have a hard time with close friendships because people are jealous of them and that people judge them for how they spend their money.IMG_1962

These comments rattled my soul. For several reasons. I love my friends. Deeply. And they love me. Deeply.

I would hope that their love for me would not fluctuate as my income fluctuates. As in,  when I have no money,  I would have no friendship? So then, why would having a surplus of income mean a sacrifice of friendship?

Do we really believe that more money is the answer to most everything?  If we are not careful, we will have our eyes on more money rather than on more of our Maker.  Look at these statements from wealthy people in my world:

“I have so much money, I don’t really need Jesus for anything.”

“I had an opportunity to make millions, but I don’t think that is what’s best for my family or my own soul. I don’t think this is God’s plan for me right now.”

“I am thankful for the money we have, but my friends think I don’t have any problems.  They think their  life is harder than mine. And it gets very lonely.”

Do you hear the temptation? the poverty? the need?  Suddenly the ground becomes very level at the Cross. Perhaps money isn’t the answer to everything. Here are real life people who have plenty of money, yet still have plenty of lack.

Theologian Henri Nouwen poignantly calls out that we are all poor in some areas and rich in some areas. Some have material wealth, some have spiritual wealth. Some have wisdom, some mercy.  Yet above all things, he asks, where is our trust? The Lord is the source of all, for all.

Extreme security.  These are the two words that God gave me in March.  It was an invitation actually.

“How would you like to live in “extreme security?” He asked.

“What does this mean?” I said. Instantly I thought of paying opportunities that would give me more stability, more options. But that’s not what He had in mind.

“That you would be so convinced of My Provision that I would  become your ‘extreme security’.”

“I would love this Lord, but I don’t know how.”

“Trust Me.”

Trusting the goodness of God is our highest goal. Perhaps, just perhaps, this is why Jesus said you can’t love God and love money. You have to choose.

You can love God and use money. But you can’t love money and use God.

When I love God, I can learn to trust in His abundance for my every need. Enter peace.

When I love money, I am constantly grasping for more to meet my own needs. Enter exhaustion.

My wealthy friends already know this. They have all they need financially and more. (Which is why they give so much away.) They already know that money doesn’t meet ALL their needs. Only God can do that.

So regardless of your financial status, how is your peace? What is your source? Where is your love?

Really let the Lord reveal your mental conversations as you compare yourself to others, or even despise others for their surplus or lack. Are you asking God to meet your needs?  Are you accusing God of not taking care of you? How about this— are you thanking God for what you do have?

And, likewise, let the Lord reveal your areas of spiritual wealth. What areas are you so full that you might share with others?  You may be rich in ways you have never considered. I love what 1 Timothy 6:6 says: “But godliness with contentment is great gain.”  Godliness. Contentment. Great Gain. This sounds like a great path for us all, regardless of the number of zeros in our lives.

God is faithful to meet all our needs. May we be rich in trusting Him.

 

 

 

Standing in These Uncertain Days…

/ Jana / Leave a comment

ISIS. Torture. Beheadings. Martyrs. Burned at the stake. Crucified.

Persecution is not a new thing. More than twenty years ago,  as brand new believers, Chuck and I worked closely with the Voice of the Martyrs organization. We heard stories that  turn your stomach turn and test your faith.  But that’s not all.  I have read many history books. And, I have read the New Testament.  Often.

Remember? It is the stories of people who experienced  overwhelming love and utter sacrifice. Persecution is not a new thing.

So as we face the current onslaught, the alarm sounds for us to move deeper into the heart of God.  Just as  tornado warnings  blare out for us to “seek shelter,”  so we  seek the shelter of the Almighty.

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
    my God, in whom I trust.” 

Psalm 91:1-3

These are the days that separate true faith from religion. The sheep from the goats. Religion would make cowards of us all.  Social comfort zones, or playing church, do not provide a foundation worth dying for.  But “the love of God compels us” to stand against the evil of every generation.

I tell you in the Spirit, the days we are living in must produce  three things in every believer’s heart—love, power, and a sound mind.

Love will help you discern that the battle we are in is not against “flesh and blood but principalities and powers.”  (Ephesians 6:12)

Love— and I mean God’s real, relevant and consuming affection—  will help you abandon your life into His heart. That though you lose your life, you know you will save your soul. These are chilling questions but ones you must examine.

“Am I willing to die for Jesus?”  “Am I willing to lose all that I have, including my family, for Jesus?”IMG_4803

You can be sure that our brothers and sisters in the middle East live—and die— by their answers every day. We are not exempt from these spiritual siftings.

Jesus himself spoke of days just as these and declared that these things “must happen.” But his warning? He was concerned about our love. “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,  but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.” Matthew 24: 12-13 What is your love temperature?

It a sincere love for Jesus that motivates us to follow in His sufferings should that day come. You can’t fake Christianity for long when someone is a holding a gun to your head. Be diligent then in these days. Cultivate, nurture, prioritize your relationship with God now.

Power will equip you to wage war with “divine weapons” and demolish strongholds regardless of where the enemies are located.  (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

Power comes when we understand that Jesus reigns. He is the King of all the earth. Period.  When we see evil on the rise, we must respond with even greater confidence and faith. And we must respond. In prayer, in action, in faith.  The great Light of God has come into the world, and the darkness cannot put it out. Not ISIS, not anyone.

Through him all things were made;

without him nothing was made that has been made. 

In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome  it.”

John 1: 3-5

We don’t wring our hands, or fret about our way of life. We speak the kingdom of God into the darkest places. We declare the goodness of God to be manifested to those being tormented but also to the tormentors. We release the Scriptures like arrows. We stand in the Spirit against our enemy, we intercede for the suffering. Just this morning I prayed that the name of Jesus would “pour forth like ointment.” (Song of Songs 1:3)

We must rise up into the power and authority that Jesus gave us to advance His Kingdom.  It is time for the church to stop its petty territory games and “follow the leader” paradigms and instead start equipping the saints for the Holy War of Love.

A sound mind has a peace that  “will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 4:7

It is in the mind that your greatest victory is won. “For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind.” ( 2 Timothy 1:7 )  A sound mind has already been given to you. Are you accessing it?  We know that in Him we are more than conquerors.  But so many of us live in a daily panic or state of “what if this happens.”

I challenge you that God knows your days.  He knows the hairs on your head. His job is to be God. Your job is to trust and obey. Trust His goodness, even in the darkest of circumstances, and obey His commands: Love God and love your neighbor.

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.

And what does the LORD require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy

and to walk humbly with your God.
Micah 6:8

Which takes more faith? To freak out over every news report or Facebook post? Or, to love your enemies and to bless those who persecute you? ( Matthew 5:44) Our sound mind and steadfast faith releases the power of God into our lives and the world.

Perhaps, the greatest challenge we face as Christians is to finally learn the secret:  “Perfect Love casts out fear.”

Today. Tomorrow. Middle East. USA. War. Peace. Famine. Abundance. It is Christ alone.

I exhort you to examine your life. To purposely raise your spiritual expectations so that you live in the realm of Love, Power and a Sound Mind.  Then we might  truly see “Thy kingdom come, on earth as it is in Heaven.”

 

 

Learning to Love: Honesty and Boundaries

/ Jana / 1 Comment

While I was on Sabbatical, the Lord did  a one-on-one tutorial on relational health. Yes. It was frightening. Because if you are like me, you think you are one of the “mature” people walking around doing life in health and wholeness.

But God. When Jesus steps into the picture of emotional health, the bar is raised to a new level. The sermon on the mount was not a standard for us to try to reach up to, but rather a standard of heaven that exposed  Just How Much We Need Jesus. In the same way,  emotional health seen through the lens of heaven is very different from our reality.

I am breaking all this down in more detail in my book, but I want to prime the pump but talking about honesty and boundaries.  To be honest…I find unbelievers can often deal in reality better than believers.  Somewhere along the line we have swallowed just enough Sunday School lessons on kindness and “turn the other cheek” that we think Jesus was  some kind of emotional marshmallow and thus that is our goal.  We are so paralyzed by by the thought of hurting someone, or that person retaliating, that we flat out lie. Did you hear me? We lie. We gloss, avoid, tell half-truths, exaggerate or just full blown fibs…we lie.

On the contrary, Jesus never lied.

Let that soak in— Jesus. Never. Lied.

Not to the disciples, not to the weak and hurting, not to Pilate, not to the Pharisees and Saducees.

He was Truth. And so he spoke truth at all costs, regardless of potential hurt because he knew that the truth would set us free.  Alas. We don’t like this. It is waaaaay too vulnerable. And so we grab from Paul the standard  verse in Ephesians to “Speak the truth in love.”

However it does not say…

“speak the truth in denial” or

“speak the gossip in love” or

“avoid the truth in love” or

“speak the truth only if the people still like you” or

“speak the truth regardless of whether it kills the other.”

Do you see we need the lens of Heaven? I heard it said once that Jesus  always fully spoke the truth and yet you had never felt so fully loved in your life. Fully truth, fully loved. This is what the Spirit is after.

It is not enough for you to love, and yet you lie. It is not enough for you to be honest, and yet you don’t love the other person.

Enter boundaries.  Most of us are dishonest because we don’t feel safe. In fact, we often are not in safe environments. And this is where boundaries become our holy guardrails.

1) Boundaries are for me, not the other person.  Boundaries help me feel safe from others. I am not responsible for others’ safety. They are. (How did I miss this?)

2) Boundaries create a safe place for me so that I can hear God for myself.  If I can only hear other people’s expectations, demands, pressures, then I can’t hear God for myself. Boundaries help me move those people out a distance until I can again hear the voice of God.

I love this. But does this mean I get to be a hermit, safe inside my own little Jesus world? Not quite.

“But over all these things, put on love.”

How many prophets must ask us: Have you learned to love?

Have we learned to love fully? Not just the beautiful and thrilling and delightful parts of a person, but the weak and ugly and continually maturing parts of a person.

We don’t lie about or deny the ugly parts, and we don’t lack boundaries to protect ourselves from them. But we press into learn how to love. Jesus sees us all fully. And yet he love us fully. This is our model and our goal.

May we learn how to speak the truth. May we learn how to have boundaries so we can hear the Voice of Love above all. And may we learn how to love.

Be tolerant with each other and, if someone has a complaint against anyone, forgive each other. As the Lord forgave you, so also forgive each other.  And over all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. The peace of Christ must control your hearts—a peace into which you were called in one body. And be thankful people.

Colossians 3: 13-15

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The Painting: A Parable about Results vs. Enjoyment

/ Jana / Leave a comment

I had a major ah-ha moment around “getting it right.” And the more I sit in it, the more the Spirit is bringing revelation.

Before we closed on our house, I was stuck in a moment of  “God, I am not so sure about the new house idea.”  I knew that I had heard the Lord say this was to be our new home. But I was just not seeing it.  A friend came over and she and I both stood in silence looking at the property. “It’s really different from where you are right now,” she offered kindly. “It’s a lot of work,”  I grumbled.

I turned to her and nearly begged, “Please pray for me today. If God is telling me this is it, I must be missing something because this does not look like abundance. And He promised me abundance.”  We hugged and went our separate ways.

But we both did pray.  I asked for God to give me glimpse of what He was seeing, a sign, a token of His Yes. She prayed for a glimpse of what God was up to in my life.

The answers to those prayers were, well, God sized.

After my friend left, my family and I ran errands. As we were driving down old familiar roads,  “something” caught my eye. I knew a Holy Nudge well enough to go back and look.  It was the back of a huge canvas being discarded. My first thought was for  Salem. She could repaint this big piece.

Why throw it away when there is so much potential? (Selah)

Then Chuck turned the canvas around I heard this whisper from the Lord. “These are the colors in your new house.”

“But I don’t do blues,” I said.

You do now. This is a whole new season. So all new colors.

Whaaat? Here was a literal sign from God, with a touch of interior Designing too. I was overwhelmed by His kindness to answer my prayer but also the attention to detail of my house.  Who is this God who cares about paint colors? I couldn’t wait to tell my friend my answered prayers but she had her own story.

She retold her God conversation as:

Lord, it’s not my place to wonder if she is hearing you right. But I don’t want her being miserable. She loves her home. She has worked hard to make it beautiful.

“Yeah. She is pretty great at making beautiful things, isn’t she?” He said.

So we just started bragging on you and how faithful you are with the gifts you have been given. You look at this house and see everything you want to change, but He is looking at it going, ‘Jana would would excel in here. It looks like work, but an artist enjoys painting…’

Also, I kept asking Him why this looked like a decrease when we know He has “more”.  I kept getting words like, inheritance, legacy, generational blessings, and honor of the father and mother.  I think the “more” is not in the size of the kitchen…  Does any of this fit?

I was crying as I read her email. Yes, Yes it fits. Perfectly.

I turned a corner that day. Yes I was moving.  There were months and mountains to cross before we would move into our promised house, but God had activated my creativity.  I was dreaming again, brainstorming options. I would go in my garage and look at this huge canvas and just smile. “Blues, huh? This is going to be fun.” I said to the Lord.

I know, He said. That’s the point.

So fast forward six months. God so changed our hearts that we were all but running to the new house  because we were so eager to be there.  We lugged that huge canvas to the new house and leaned it against the wall, and taunted me. Chuck and I had agreed once we moved, that he wanted something more than an abstract so it needed repainting. So it waited for me.

I tried to recruit my daughter, the artist. Salem refused to touch it.

I kept telling her I didn’t know how to paint well enough to get what was in my head onto the canvas.  But every time I said that to Salem, the Spirit would press on me and say, “That’s not the point. You do it.”

Have you ever had something being offered to you that you had no idea how to start, or worse, you wouldn’t start because you were afraid you would screw it up?

When the day of no more stalling came, paints and brushes ready, I stood there— panicked.

What if I mess it up? I said out loud. What if you do? He answered.

What if I don’t like it? I asked.  What if you don’t? He prodded.

I don’t know what to do.

Whatever you want.

Really?  The first swaths of mixed paint were bolder than I thought but it was too late. A huge stripe of turquoise interrupted the tranquil greys and misty blues.  Might as well keep going, I thought. I splashed and smeared and stroked. Then came the tree.

I don’t know how to make a tree.

I do.

I know you do, but how do I paint one.

There was only Silence. So I took the brush and tried to carefully create a tree branch. It looked awful.

You are trying too hard.  What you would paint if you were just having fun?

Suddenly I started slapping the brush on the canvas. And before long a tree of sorts did emerge. And so the process continued. With the dripping affects, and squiggle lines, and the cream colored tree roots.  The more I relaxed, the more lost I became in the moment,  the more I realized I was smiling. I was playing more than painting. I was enjoying more than working.

I stood back and observed my work. “Well it looks really different than the painting in my head.”

Yes it does.

“I am not sure I like it.”

Is that okay?

“Yes. No. Maybe? I like it but it doesn’t really fit my house now. But I sure loved doing it. That was so — fun.”

Ah yes. That’s the point. (Ever have the feeling that Jesus is laughing at you rather than with you sometimes?)janatree

Once the whole family voted, we agreed that we liked the painting but didn’t want it in our new house. And I felt…wonderful.

It really had nothing to do with the result. The whole exercise was about hearing the Lord, responding to Him, being wiling to walk into the unknown, or even unskilled, and enjoy the process.

How have I missed this so many times? I re-read my friends email:

An artist enjoys painting…

I have missed much enjoyment in my life because I have been so results-oriented. The questions God laid on my heart might help you too.

Have I let the “pressures of this world” (the ones Jesus warned us about) choke out the seeds of creativity, joy, enjoyment in my life?

Could I do the same things I do every day, but do them differently? With enjoyment, with pleasure, with God? And let the results—just be the results and not my goal, my worth, or my god?

Seek first the Kingdom of God, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33

 

 

“Where are the good men?”

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My friend’s eyes filled with tears as she asked these pertinent questions: Where are the good men? Who love God and want to do what’s right?IMG_4922

If this was an isolated case, it might not be blog-worthy. But I have heard these questions for ten years as I’ve walked with women. I should start a match-making service because I have been honored to walk with outstanding, hard-working, motivated, Jesus loving women.  But when I look around for available men to be good husbands to these women — the list gets quite short. Instead I find mamas boys, porn addicts, leeches, gamers, and stoners. And, might I add, they are quite content to stay that way.

These women are not perfect. But the secret lies in they know they are not perfect and seek health and wholeness in God. They are working on their stuff to build a better future. But so many of the guys we have seen are stuck in this perpetual teenage boy stupidity:

I want to play. I don’t want to commit. I want sex anyway I can get it. I want to escape.

These Christian women are saying this is the best they get INSIDE the church, let alone those outside the church. One women aptly asked the question, “are my only options to stay single, or, take on a life long project of helping a guy get sober and learn how to get a job and be a husband and dad?”

Listen, before you blast me, I know some outstanding men too. Those guys don’t last long on the marriage market. They are in high demand. But if we are honest, the good men shortage is reaching epidemic levels.

I readily admit I am old school.  I come from a heritage of men who know how to work, hard.  The passage of my brothers and cousins into manhood was bailing hay as teenagers.  Nobody cared if those boys were tired, or sore, or unhappy, or horny. There was work to be done. And you worked full out until the hay was up in the barn just like all the other men did.  They were changed by this calling out. We need more of this. A lot more.

Many Christian men I know today, married or single, are walking through life crippled at worst or undeveloped at best. They are lacking fathers in some cases, but in many more cases, they are lacking wise mothers.

If you are a parent to men-in-the-making, may I make a few suggestions for raising them strong:

1) Stop babying your boys.

They will rise to the standard you set. If you do everything for them from laundry to finances to cleaning to cooking, you are setting an expectation that “someone else” will always do the dirty work. In fact, they will let you do all the work, all their life.  I heard someone say once “never do for your child what they can and should do for themselves.”  This is a powerful gift of personal responsibility. Believe it or not, taking care of yourself begins at a much younger age than most of us like.

2) Men are here to serve others.

Women seem to get this naturally. It is part of our maternal, relationship DNA I suspect. But many young men carry this attitude that “I am the center of the universe.”  This does not make for a successful employer, employee, husband, father or friend. You have to teach them to care for others from a young age, and emphasize it all the more when the hormones start raging.

3) Strength must be tested.

The absence of strength is fear of weakness. It doesn’t even mean they are weak. But they fear they will be weak, that they don’t have what it takes in work, life, and family. Obviously, I mean more than just physical strength, but mental and emotional as well.

In the same way a woman constantly assesses her beauty, and man is constantly assessing his strength. If he is never allowed to test his strength, or develop his strength (ie, mom is afraid he will get hurt) then what grows instead is a distorted weakness. This is debilitating to adult males. I believe this is a root cause to most addictions.

He lacks confidence. He lacks initiative and drive. He lacks the ability to be the Man for his family. So what happens? They marry strong women who try to carry both buckets of man and woman inside their families. It doesn’t take long for these marriages to be strained beyond survival. We need strong men and strong women to have healthy families.

The current culture has a lot of bad definitions of men and women. We can’t let those become the norm in our homes. We are kingdom builders. We are co-heirs with Christ. We need godly men and women raising the next generation.

God give us wisdom and power from on high to this noble calling.

 

 

Class 2 of Saying Yes to God: Walking with God doesn’t have to be hard.

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Walking with God doesn’t have to be hard.  (Click on link to view video.)

We spent this class looking at Ephesians 2 and Enoch.  We did two exercises that I encourage you to do also. The first  one was completing a maze and paying attention to the mental chatter and method of trying to find your way. The second was a listening to God exercise. Please take a few moments to soak him in.

Why Say Yes to God?

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I am just looking at the date of my last post.  No wonder I am spilling over with God stories. I have some much to brag on God about. It is hard to walk day by day with God and not be overwhelmed by His kindness. His goodness. His abundance. Don’t you agree?

As to my absence, I have been in the throes of a move.  I continue to unpack boxes of STUFF, and I paint, and purge, and muse on God’s promise now realized. I am overcome with the word that started the whole endeavor of a new home.

Saying Yes to God.

It is a great story and I will certainly share it in due time. But for now, I wanted pique your interest in the new class I am teaching beginning Thursday, June 19. Of the same name, it is an exploration of what happens when people say Yes to the Living God. As is my custom, there will be worship, God stories, Bible study, hands on activities, and  hard questions (wink).  But more than anything, there is this worthy question: Why say Yes to God?

Who is more trustworthy? Who more dependable? Who truly knows best?

But equally important, how do we Hold On to our Yes in the middle of uncertainty?

I just want to share one often repeated prayer that got me through the whole ordeal of closing on our house of promise:

“Jesus, I just want to love you well through this whole process.”

That phrase was a great protection against unbelief, fear, doubt.  More later.

I hope you will join me Thursday night. And, if you can’t come, please let your friends know who may need a little spiritual refreshment this summer.

Location: Claris Networks Conference Room, 6100 Lonas Rd, Knoxville 37909

Very conveniently located off Papermill exit. 6:30- 8:30  First Class, Thursday June 19. No homework. All are welcome. Saved, unsaved, churched, unchurched.

Finally—just for fun—because He is so hilarious, look at the two signs I saw after I decided on the topic.  Be Blessed. Janaphoto

 

yes photo

 

 

 

Darkness, Motherhood, and Praise

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So He has been busy today. The birds’ singing roused me out of sleep this morning, even though it was still dark. As my brain was waking up, my spirit recalled a teaching by our worship pastor, Vince Gibson, about how birds’ songs in the darkness caused the pores, or stomata, of leaves to open up so they could receive the dew of the morning. Vince called us to imitate creation. He said our songs of worship would “open our spiritual pores” so that we could receive the dew of Heaven.

That is enough to sit on all day long. But there’s more.

With this thought in mind, I thanked God for his attention to detail and asked Him for reminders to sing in the dark so that my praise might open up all that God wanted to water in our lives and our girls’ lives.

Then while driving the kids to school, the Lord replayed a comment from Kelly Wyatt last night.  “Praise is dangerous,” she said. She retold how Paul and Silas prayed and sang hymns even though they were in prison. All of a sudden there was a great earthquake and the chains were broken and doors swung open for them but also for all the prisoners around them.

That’s the kind of praise that changes your life and the lives of others around you.

As I arrived home I found this leaf.  He doesn’t miss a beat does He?IMG_2641

Then followed a conversation with my friend who is about to have her fourth baby. The two of us talked a lot about peace. And rest. And how do you do that when you have a lot of little people pulling at you all the time. She made this beautiful comment.  God said to her, “You keep asking for peace and rest and then you think you will give it to yourself.”

Selah.

After I got off the phone I  prayed for her. And for Christ be the source for both of us.  She and I are in very different seasons. She is in the newborn—toddler stage and I’m in the  tween—teenager stage but we share the same desire to be good moms, to love our kids well, and if we are honest, to “do it right.”

And, we both know, we won’t do it right. And that is terrifying.

How Lord? my spirit asked. How do we do this great task and stay in your peace?

For the hundredth time, my thoughts went back to the pending decisions Chuck and I must make for our girls. Time is running out and we must choose paths that will set the trajectory of their lives. But no pressure…right?

Then He speaks.  “Just as birds sing in the dark, you can sing in the dark.”

The Spirit connected all these moments to reveal that the birds don’t have all the answers. Nor do they take  responsibility for God doing His thing or the leaves doing their thing. They just sing. They do their part. The birds trust God to do the rest.

I am not God in my girls’ lives. But I can do my part. I can worship in faith, even in the dark, without answers, knowing that He will open their hearts so the dew of heaven will fall on them. I can praise The One who holds their lives in His hand and be confident that  “as surely as the rising of the dawn, He will respond.”

Yes, praise is dangerous. So sing, even in the dark.