Update #127 - Heaven's Maturity

"I had to feed you milk, not solid food, because you were not ready for it. And even now you are not ready for it" I Corinthians 3:2

Three of the Twelve Apostles

Roberts Liardon is a prolific author in the Christian arena. He started publishing at age 17 and to date has over 54 books in print…pretty impressive for a man of 45! He is a known historian and has the ability to extract the meaningful from the copious. I like to read his stuff because he tells the truth - when penning a great leader’s biography he doesn’t leave out the pitfalls, the stumbling blocks, the vices – nor does he gloss over them. He brings it into full light and pulls out “lessons learned” in a non-judgmental, instructive way.

He also injects some paradigm shifting thoughts into his works. Not that I always agree with what he writes…but it does give me cause to think. In is book We Saw Heaven he stated “each person’s age is reckoned according to his or her spiritual maturity, not their physical maturity on earth. When you get to Heaven, your age will be what you are spiritually…”

Whoa.

Paul talks about the Corinthians only being able to handle the spiritually simple…they couldn’t handle a meal; they were on milk. They had the basics, once, twice, three times and still couldn’t move to solids. They were stuck in childhood – in infancy actually - a state of constant care and leading. Someone had to continuously feed and nurture them. They couldn’t be left alone to shop and discover the best items, to prepare their own meals, or to clean up after themselves. They were babies.

Where are you on the continuum of spiritual infancy to adulthood? Do you take the time to seek and discover and feed off what you find, or do you have someone else do that for you? Are you ferreting out truth from your Bible or do you listen to the pastor, Bible teacher, facilitator share what they have learned and you digest that?

Are you able to self-monitor and put boundaries in place to keep you from sin, or does someone else have to remind you, reprimand you, and put rules in place to keep you sin-free?

I am nearly 40 physically but what am I spiritually? If I had to assign a number I would find it difficult. I don’t think I’m spiritually / physically equivalent because I am not mentoring any spiritual teenagers. I don’t think I’m a decade younger either – I am still trying to establish and live out my purpose. So, am I spiritually twenty-something? I have a grasp of who I am in Christ, I know right from wrong and live that way, I can prepare “meals” for myself, but, I still feel naive about a lot of spiritual things.

Where are you? If Liardon is right and we are our spiritual ages in heaven, how mature are you? Are you caring for others or are they caring for you?

Updates:

Living – We are still a go for the sale on June 16th. The contractor is working to make the buyer requested repairs, the last escrow docs are in, and we are just waiting for the construction details to finalize.

Work – we are in week two of our trip. Week one ended with huge Global Day of Prayer celebration with about 5,000 people locally and hundreds of thousands joining world wide. It was broadcast on GodTV and Brett and several other “Societal Transformers” were interviewed. About a third of the team left Cape Town over the weekend…but we are still 19 strong! We are focusing on client visits this week – praying for them, encouraging them, and consulting if needed. To read what we are up to visit HERE. to see Andrew Wu’s pictures of the first week, visit PHOTOS.

Travel - I am back at the B&B for the last week and am rooming with a good friend from Seattle – so nice since I hardly ever get to see her! So fun!

Requests:

Living – that the sale will commence as planned.

Work – For all our upcoming travel: Chennai, Lagos, Connecticut, LA, Texas are just a few of the places the home office team is heading. Also for our time in Cape Town (team unity, transportation, safety, etc.). And for the Venture prep in India (client recruitment, team unity, travel safety, ability to hear God’s directions).

Travel – for our return home; that we won’t suffer heavy jet-lag, that the transition would be smooth, and that what we learned in Cape Town will stay with us and not fade away.

Fundraising – if this blog or any of the past entries have touched your heart please donate toward my trip to Africa. To contribute, please click here.

Update 126 - Hearing and Believing

"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me." John 10:27

Table Mountain (left) Twelve Apostles (middle) Lion's Head (right)

In November 2006 I was showering in a funky glass and tile contraption and reminiscing about my past two months in Africa. I was thinking about how my faith had grown, how I had connected to God in a way that I never had before and, how in a month, I was going to return to “reality” and I didn’t want to loose the connection, the depth, the intimacy with God I had built. Thoughts swirled in my brain as the steam eddied around my head.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, I heard: “Abide in me.”

I remembered the story of Samuel in the Old Testament. “Ok, um, God, is that you?”

It was. I had never had a “shower conversation” with him before so it took me a bit off guard. I was just “thinking” and heard a voice tell me the answer to my question. The tone sounded kinda like my own but louder and very confident.

I have told many people this story and they usually respond one of two ways: 1) they don’t believe that God actually speaks anymore (and therefore implying I am deluded or lying – I’m neither, just so we are clear) or 2) they respond that God doesn’t speak to them.

You can hear God’s voice. Scripture says so (see John 10:27). In fact, I am confident that you have heard God’s voice you just don’t recognize it as his. Honestly, we are just not as brilliant, clever, smart, wise or discerning as we give ourselves credit. The inspired idea you just had, the shopping item you forgot and then remembered before you left the store, the ability to understand a complex situation and break it down to find a solution was probably, in a small or large way, due to God helping you.

Now, there are situations that cloud God’s voice – or even cease it from existence in ones life.

Got sin? “God does not hear sinners” (John 9:31), “If I regard wickedness in my heart the Lord will not hear” (Psalm 66:18), “I will hide my eyes from you; yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen.” (Isaiah 1:15)

Sin is missing the mark of perfection – which includes all of us. One blemish of unrepentant sin makes hearing God nigh impossible. Can’t hear God’s voice clearly and want to? Check your heart…where are you missing the mark?

Another reason you may not be able to hear God’s voice is you are deceived. You think an action, position, opinion, cure, lifestyle, choice, a preference is right when in all actuality, in God’s reality, it is dead wrong.

Deception is tricky because you don’t know when you are being deceived and therefore head into sin unknowingly.

Wanna hear God’s voice? Want to know what he has to say to you? Do you want a glimpse into what he has ahead for you (Isaiah 42:9)? Then practice getting to know what his voice sounds like!*

God wants and intimate relationship with you – one built on knowing and trust. He wants us to know him, and trust that he had our best interest at heart. It is hard to “know” a silent partner and the only way to get him talking again is to respect him and his principles (which he put in place to protect us).

How is your heart? Is it angry? Bitter? Resentful? Is it unhappy and discontent? Are you aligned with God’s principles in every aspect of your life, or have some areas slipped a bit? What in your life is acting as a silencer?

Updates:

Living – We are still a go for the sale on June 16th. I have a second contractor bid in the works (thanks Pam) and should know closing details soon.

Work – the team is here and we are on the move! Most are out today visiting past clients – praying, infusing faith and encouraging. We have an entrepreneur day tomorrow and start with GDOP on Thursday morning. Check out the team blog for updates on what we are doing, seeing and experiencing: http://repurposing.biz/cape-town-may-2010/.

Travel - I am ensconced at a lovely hotel downtown Cape Town – walking distance from the waterfront and convention center. I have a view of Signal Hill from my room and have NEVER experienced such a bountiful spread for breakfast!

Requests:

Living – that construction on the building will finish by the first of June, closing will be smooth, and that the girl staying in my California apartment will enjoy her time there.

Work – For all our upcoming travel: Chennai, Lagos, Connecticut, LA, Texas are just a few of the places the home office team is heading. Also for our time in Cape Town (attendance at our forums in conjunction with GDOP, team unity, transportation, safety, etc.). And for the Venture prep in India (client recruitment, team unity, travel safety, ability to hear God’s directions).

Fundraising – if this blog or any of the past entries have touched your heart please donate toward my trip to Africa. Visit http://gdop.inst.net to find out what I’m doing while in Cape Town. To contribute, please go to http://repurposing.biz/contribute for details.

*Listening Practice: I had a blind corner on my way to work. I would ask God every morning if a car was coming. After a while I was hearing about 90% correct and sometimes I even had a picture of the car in my head before it came around the corner! So fun!

Update #125 FOG

"Pause a moment, Job, and listen; consider the wonderful things God does." Job 37:14

Signal Point / Twelve Apostles - Cape Town

I live on a hill (well, native Californians call it a mountain, but I, who has seen “real” mountains, call it a hill). The road to my house is narrow, windy, steep, and has an impressive drop-off on the downhill side. After living here six months I know the road pretty well and its hairpin turns don’t bother me any more – except when it is foggy.

Fog has a way of cloaking and covering, of concealing and shrouding, of veiling and enveloping objects so they don’t appear normal. Light dilutes and shadows elongate and morph. Awareness is radically altered and senses are skewed - sound dulls, vision deceives, and depth perception is doubtable. There is an eerie stillness...and everything has a thin veil of condensation – making surfaces more reflective than usual.

During daylight hours driving the narrow, windy, steep road in foggy conditions is tricky but doable. Night time is a different story. As stated previously, I know this road…I drive it almost everyday. But darkness and fog make me feel like I have never driven the road before in my life! “Where is that turn?” “Is that a tree?” “Oh God, please don’t let another car come at me!”

Recently I was driving down the hill in semi-dark foggy conditions and reflected at how slowly and carefully I was navigating the road; how I was paying hyper-attention to my surroundings, and noticing every little thing – the spring green of the leaves, the crimson of the underbrush, the damp on the road, the birds in the trees, the rabbits standing stock-still like statues, the gravel on the edge of the roadway…on second thought, do I really know this street as well as I thought?

I think this is an allegorical illustration of our lives. We get in a groove, a routine - the day-to-day tasks zoomed through – and we miss the details running along side us. When we venture into the unknown, the unfamiliar, the foreign; we slow, we tread carefully, we observe, we contemplate, we analyze how our surroundings react to us. In the familiar we are secure and therefore move, speak and act at Ferrari-like speed. This makes me ask, “How much am I missing”?

I put a mirror up above my desk – not for vanity reasons, but to see the view out my front window. I face a retaining wall and was missing the scurrying clouds, sweeping wind, frolicking birds, and sun playing along the valley. It only takes a moment to glance at the reflective surface to see what is happening behind me. I have been taken by surprise several times - rainbows, dark clouds, sunbursts, and spectacular views of the city. It slows me down, causes me to pause and enjoy what God has made.

What slows you down? What brings reflection into your life? Your kids? Your dog? Your daily time with God? A friend? Fog? A mirror?

My prayer is that we can take a moment every day to be fully present where we are and not thinking about what comes next, the appointment we need to prep for, the “to do’s” – but be fully aware of our surroundings – the sights, the smells, the sounds, the temperature, the humidity – because we will never be there again. I don’t want my life to be filled with days “doing” and not “experiencing.” I have weeks whip by and I can’t remember what I did on Monday – I was busy – but what is my memory of that day?

Is your life cloaked in fog? Are you able to discern your surroundings for what they are? Are your senses in hyper-attention striving to gage the unfamiliar or are you ripping past in over-drive? What causes you to pause?

Updates:

Living – We are still a go for the sale on June 16th. I am currently working to finding a licensed contractor to address the buyer required alterations…the first bid was really high and I wasn’t impressed. If you can recommend anyone, let me know. I need the work done before the first week in June.

Work – made it to Cape Town early Wednesday morning. I had a great seat (bulkhead asile baby…translate that to LEG ROOM) on both flights – and nice seat mates as well. Thank you Lizzy! The rest of the home office team arrived that afternoon and we headed to bed relatively early (8pm).

Travel- Am in the Pinelands neighborhood of Cape Town through Saturday morning – then off to a Waterfront hotel for a week. After GDOP I am back in Pinelands for another week then to Somerset West for a few days. I head back to the US the first part of June.

Requests:

Living – that construction on the building will finish by the first of June and closing will be smooth, and that the girl staying in my California apartment will enjoy her time there. AND, I will find a contractor that isn’t overpriced!

Work – For all our upcoming travel: Chennai, Lagos, Connecticut, LA, Texas are just a few of the places the home office team is heading. For our time in Cape Town (attendance at our forums in conjunction with GDOP, team unity, transportation, safety, etc.). And for the Venture in India (client recruitment, team unity, travel safety, ability to hear God’s directions).

Fundraising – if this blog or any of the past entries have touched your heart please donate toward my trip to Africa. Visit http://gdop.inst.net to find out what I’m doing while in Cape Town. To contribute, please go to http://repurposing.biz/contribute for details.

Update #124 Faith Foundation

"Moses said to the people: Fear not: stand, and see the great wonders of the Lord, which he will do this day… The LORD will fight for you, and all you have to do is keep still" Exodus 14:13, 14

Me, Kim, Jamie and Tiia at my open house

On my way back from Switzerland I sat next to a twenty-something viticulturist. We chatted about the frozen vineyards I had seen on the Genevan hillsides – and I asked what happens during winter in the wine-making process. His answer was simple, yet profound…“the vines root.”

I must have looked puzzled / confused because he continued, in heavily French-accented English, to explain how the harsh weather conditions drive the roots of the vine deeper into the earth where they find nutrients, sustenance and moisture. He added that viticulturists can artificially stress vines any time of the year, but it is best if it happens naturally.

As Jean-Pierre turned to chat with our other row-mate (a nice chappy from England) I thought about what he said. Harsh conditions cause vines to root – um, God, is that what you were doing in 2005-2006 when all that “crap” happened to me? Were you causing my superficial roots of faith to dig deeper, seek the substantial, and cling to the eternal? Is that what you were doing?

I thought of the icon of Seattle – the Space Needle; built for the worlds fair in 1961 and once the tallest structure west of the Mississippi. Records indicate 20% of the spire is underground and that its foundation is so massive the “Needles” center of gravity is just 5 feet above ground level – even though she towers 605 feet in the air. Due to her stable foundation she can withstand winds up to 200 mph and earthquakes of 9.1 magnitude.

Is your faith that solid? Can you withstand wind gusts of 200 mph and 9.1 magnitude earthquakes (i.e. your computer fails, you get a tire flat, it’s raining, your spouse and you have a major tiff, your child is rebelling against everything you have taught them, your dog dies, your cat gets the mother-of-all fur balls on your antique Persian rug, the bills are due and there is no money, you are victim of fraud, the dryer stops working, the sewer backs up, you can’t find a job…and your mother-in-law is about to visit)?

What do you do? In Exodus 14 the Israelites had just exited Egypt. They march a few days into the desert when the Egyptian war machine begins pursuit. As the pharaoh and his army bear down on the just-former slaves, they freak out…and their leader, Moses, essentially says, “Chill out boys, just stand there, keep still, and watch God work.”

I can hear their reaction in my head “Um, what?! They have chariots, swords, bows, arrows, and other killing stuff – I am just to stand here and be slaughtered? Moses, are you that sleep deprived? Shouldn’t I be doing something? Can’t I use this vase to bash an Egyptian or something?”

God was developing their root system. He wanted them so secure in who he was and what he could do that they would have no choice but to stand. A vine can’t move itself when it is stressed, the Space Needle can’t move from Seattle to San Francisco when the weather turns nasty – it has to stay where it is. As should we.

How far down does your root system reach? Has it gotten past the superficial layers of commitment and “proving” to deeper levels of faith, to the substantial, the eternal, the everlasting? What are your roots siphoning off of…living water, the true God, the life-source? Or something else? Where do you turn in crisis of faith? And, do you flee / escape / run or do you stand, keep still and watch the mighty God work?

Updates:

Living – I cleaned out the condo’s storage unit on Friday; it was full of all the previous renters “treasures.” I got a new set of luggage, my dad inherited a really nice tool set, my realtor gained a skill saw, my mom received an ironing board and broom – and the construction guys gained miscellaneous gaming equipment, cd’s, dvd’s, etc. I couldn’t believe all that this guy left behind! I signed most of the paperwork on Tuesday and will sign the rest when I return from Africa. The condo is slated to close June 16th if the construction stays on schedule (pray hard please!).

Work – three out of four books are ready for printing and the fourth is close. I hope to get them up to Kindle by weeks end – stay tuned!

Travel- was in Seattle this last week. Pretty busy schedule but was able to spend several nights with my parents, visit a few friends, and hosted an open house which was quite fun (thanks Jamie and Mom for all the goodies!). I head to Cape Town, South Africa on Monday, May 10th for three weeks.

Requests:

Living – that construction on the building will finish by the first of June and closing will be smooth, and that the girl staying in my California apartment will enjoy her time there.

Work – for all our upcoming travel… Kala Lumpur, Chennai, Kochi, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Lagos, Connecticut, LA, Texas are just a few of the places we are heading! And for my time in Cape Town (flights included) – Thanks!

Fundraising – if this blog or any of the past entries have touched your heart please donate toward my upcoming trip to Africa. Visit http://gdop.inst.net to find out what I’ll be doing while in Cape Town. To contribute, please go to http://repurposing.biz/contribute for details.

PS – Congratulations to Holly & Glen, Deny & Vivian, Kasia & Keith – all who were married last weekend! And to my friend Erik who marries the love of his life while I am off in Africa…