Update #115

“I have filled him with my power. I have given him understanding, skill, and ability for every kind of artistic work…” Exodus 31:3

New Year's Eve in Zurich, Switzerland

I was reading in Exodus the other day when I came upon the above verse. It gave me pause; especially the phrase “every kind of artistic work.”

Wow – not some, not a few, but EVERY kind of artistic work. The verses following outline a bit of what this guy was empowered to do. Ready? This guy was an expert

· Silver, gold and bronze smith
· Gem cutter and setter
· Rough and finish carpenter
· Weaver
· Oil and incense apothecary

I know people who have gone through four years of university study to be able to silversmith. In know others who have tried to be successful in the jewelry business but didn’t have the “eye” for cutting gems. But Bezalel was empowered with God’s Spirit and made highly skilled, resourceful and knowledgeable in multiple areas.

What kind of man was Bezalel? We know that he is of the tribe of Judah (leadership anointing Genesis 49:10), Hur’s grandson (Ex 17:10-12), and that he had been a slave for nearly all of his life. But God had a need, Bezalel was available, and with a word, this former slave became master of many trades.

This made me think… Where are God’s needs? What does He need done? What is his heartbeat to make happen? Am I available to help?

Where is God working around you? Where is he active? Are you apart of what God is doing or are you sidelined watching the action? Why are you on the sidelines? Why aren’t you in the game? Is it fear of inadequacy? Fear that you may fail? Fear that you don’t have the right tools, right knowledge, right insight? Fear that you aren’t the right man for the job?

Take a note from Bezalel. He was young. He was a former slave. And, yes, he may have had experience in one or more of the above bulleted areas, but not all of them. With God’s Spirit he became an expert and excelled above his peers and was appointed General Foreman of temple construction.

God provides for what he purposes. If you get in the path of what he is doing and make yourself available - mark my words - you will find yourself doing, seeing, achieving things you would have only dreamt you could have done, seen or achieved previously. God’s Spirit makes all the difference.

So, get off the bench and into the game…what is holding you back?

Updates:
Condo – Still for sale. The prospective buyer didn’t bite but the traffic through the unit has increased. Hopefully the right buyer is coming soon!
Work – Training orientation begins tonight in Saratoga, we have a Wine and Cheese Recruiting event on Friday, and Don and Margie Cook report back on Sunday about what they have been doing in India….busy times!
Travel – next trip is most likely Cape Town, May 2010 for the Global Day of Prayer http://www.gdop2010.com/

Requests:
Condo – It needs to sell and I need the monthly mortgage payment to come in.
Work – we are still recruiting for this training cycle – and several applicants are undecided. Please pray that the hurdles, hindrances, and obstacles will either be a defining factor or they would dissolve.

Websites - If you would like to RSS my update vs. getting them by email visit my blog site http://www.denaandrews.blogstpot.com/. To find out more about rēp visit http://www.repurposing.biz/ for information.

Update #114

“…do not make God's Holy Spirit sad; for the Spirit is God's mark of ownership on you, a guarantee that the Day will come when God will set you free.” Ephesians 4:30

View from tower window - Chateu de Chillon, Switzerland

Except for a few atheists out there most of the world’s population would agree that there is a “God” – some may refer to him as a “higher power” or Buddha or Allah or one of the 1000 of Hindu names. But I think a lot of us believe there is a being outside of ourselves, outside our universe, bigger than us, watching over things.

Saying “God,” typing “God,” praying in “God’s name” is acceptable – in most parts of the world. It gets a bit more tenuous when you bring Jesus into the picture.

Jesus. God’s son, the redeemer, the messiah, the one the Israelites were hoping, wishing, and pining for. Jesus whose birth is so important most of the world has a dedicated holiday (yep, that’s right…Christmas). The observance may be fact but weight of relevance has diminished. Jesus’ name is used more of a swear word than a declaration of power. And when his name is used appropriately (like at the end of a prayer “in Jesus’ name”) wars break out – from offense to full scale onslaught.

To be considered a “Christian” you must have admitted your sin to God and accepted Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross atoning for your wrong doing. Most of today’s Christ-followers are kosher with that. The rub comes when Holy Spirit is added to the mix. Holy wars, grievances, church splits, denominational divides, and familial severances occur when he, his gifts, his power, his miraculous doings are mentioned.

Why is that? Why is it Holy Spirit is banned from most churches, lives, businesses, ministries and outreaches? Why is it God is feared, Jesus is claimed and Holy Spirit is grieved and left out?

The Bible states that God is triune – three-in-one. You can’t have God the Father without Jesus the Son and Holy Spirit at the same time. It is impossible to worship one without the other two. But I think that is what people do - and miss the full experience.

It is like using a flashlight that’s top isn’t screwed on tight - one third or two thirds attached and you only get partial or no power to the bulb…fully tightened equals full-illumination and power.

Holy Spirit is the least understood or called upon – but the most active. God and Jesus are in heaven sitting next to each other, but Holy Spirit is here - now. He is the one that hears your prayers and advises you what to do. He is the one who convicts your conscience when you aren’t quite “in the right.” He is he one that provides the supernatural abilities – like “knowing things” you shouldn’t know, understanding stuff that is way above your educational knowledge, and being able to detect when things aren’t “quite okay” so you avoid the situation, etc.

Think of it this way, God the father is sitting on his throne, Jesus’ death opened the door to the holy of holies – and Holy Spirit is the escort or guide. He helps us find the door and ushers us into God’s presence.

Are you lost and having difficulty “finding God”? Are you lacking the peace that God’s presence brings? Are you wandering around aimlessly trying to find your “purpose”? Ask Holy Spirit to help you. It is his job!

Updates:
Condo – Still for sale but my realtor tells me there is a prospective buyer….PRAY HARD!
Work – Back in California and getting ready for the upcoming training cycle (ie recruiting, ordering, calling, prepping, praying)
Friends – Jodie and Jamie were here for a short visit over the weekend. We went down to Monterey and Carmel and enjoyed the sunshine and scenery…sigh…I love my friends!

Requests:
Condo – It needs to sell and I need the monthly mortgage payment to come in.
Work – for the undecided recruits, for volunteers to staff the training cycle, and for the training materials to arrive on time.
Websites - If you would like to RSS my update vs. getting them by email visit my blog site http://www.denaandrews.blogstpot.com/. To find out more about rēp visit http://www.repurposing.biz/ for information.

Update #113

“Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember my everlasting promise to every living animal on earth.” Genesis 9:16

Between Lucerne and Bern, Switzerland

Remember Noah - the guy who built the ark out of cypress wood and tar (not the steel one in 2012)? Noah, who was hailed as a loony because he was building a gargantuan ship so far from a sizeable body of water; Noah who at age 600 boarded the ship he built with his wife and family and waited for rain (Genesis 7:4).

Wait, rain? What the heck is rain?

Noah built the ship in faith – he had never seen, felt, experienced, or heard rain before. There was no precipitation before the flood. The land was watered by underground springs, the sky was always sunny and clear, the atmosphere pleasant and warm (kinda like San Diego). When God said he was going to send rain, Noah had no idea what he was talking about.

I can only imagine the soft pitter pat on the wooden planks that increased to a snap, slap, hammer, drumming, swelling cacophony of sound. How freaked out would you have been? No windows, but hearing the crowd screaming, yelling, pleading to you – and hearing former mockers drown as the large barge sways and rocks off its moors.

Roughly twelve months later Noah’s family exits the ark. They don’t know where they are, the sky looks different, the ground feels strange, and there really isn’t much vegetation that isn’t absolutely waterlogged or destroyed. They pull together some rocks, build an altar and worship God.

Then God and Noah’s family have a chat about the rules of the land and God gives them the rainbow as a symbol of his promise to never ever flood and destroy the earth again.

If I were them I would be 1. Happy to be out of the ark, 2. Happy to be over motion-sickness, 3. Happy to be able to roam a bit further than 450 feet at a time, and 4. Excited to see natural light again. But then the inevitable would happen – rain would come.

Can you imagine their response? Variations of panic, fear, and end of life flashes. Questions would be rampant - we don’t have another boat, we don’t have enough supplies, we aren’t prepared for this precipitous onslaught, are we getting wiped out this time? What did we do to tick God off? Why didn’t he kill us earlier with all the others – why now?

Then the rainbow would appear and they would recall the promise.

I am sure over time they became at ease with rain and even though it could be a bad storm they knew God wasn’t out to flood the earth and end all of life; that the promise God made stood strong and they were safe.

My question to you is what promises has God given you? What words, pictures, hope has he offered you? And, what are your circumstances saying about it? Do they agree with the promise, or are they dark and foreboding like oncoming rain clouds? Will you concur with circumstance or cling to what God said? Do circumstances dictate your actions - or do you focus on what God has for you? Are you looking at the rain or at the rainbow?

Updates:
Condo – Still for sale (Jason and Mike I appreciate you!).
Work – I start up again in a week with recruiting, prep for the upcoming training / travel cycle, catch up, as well as all the other miscellaneous stuff that happens in a consulting office!
Travel – Still in Switzerland with Rebecca and her Dad for a few days, then off to the Zurich Airport
Friends – Jodie and Jamie arrive for a weekend visit this Saturday!

Requests:
Condo – It needs to sell and I need the monthly mortgage payment to miraculously arrive until it does.
Work – For the people on the fence – that God’s voice would be clear to them about joining our training cycle this spring. For a prayer training product I am hoping to launch the end of January
Travel – safe passage home to San Francisco
Websites - If you would like to RSS my update vs. getting them by email visit my blog site http://www.denaandrews.blogstpot.com/. To find out more about rēp visit http://www.repurposing.biz/ for information.