Update #129 - King Characteristics

“There is no fear where love exists. Rather, perfect love banishes fear, for fear involves punishment, and the person who lives in fear has not been perfected in love. " 1 John 4:18

Cape Town, South Africa

While I was in Switzerland I visited a castle. A Lord reigned there once. I saw his “throne room” (receiving room); I saw his bed chambers, his dining hall, his meeting rooms…and his dungeon.

It was January when I toured – and the place wasn’t heated. There was snow and ice surrounding the fortress, and the inner courtyards were encompassed by freshly created snow banks. The fireplaces were six feet in height; 12 feet in width and about 6 feet deep…I can only imagine how much wood the entire castle went through in the winter…the place was frigid!

The pictorial boards told how each room was used during all of the dynasties. Some rooms were bedrooms, but later meeting rooms, dressing rooms, food prep rooms – it mattered what that Lord needed at the time. Several times the castle was the safe haven during war and rooms once used for sleeping or storage were now strategy centers, torture chambers, the weapon cache, or dungeon.

The dungeon in this castle was at water level and the windows were high slits in the walls. January had ice forming around the openings and the walls were chilly to lean up against. The info board stated that the water would reach the windows in spring and sometimes spill over into the room…what a wretched life for someone chained in stocks or to one of the massive stone pillars at the center.

The castle served as a refuge for the Lord, his family and entourage (200+ people). As long as those in the Lord’s company proved faithful, loyal and of use/purpose they were guaranteed protection. But, go against the Lord and off to the dank, cold, uncomfortable dungeon you would go…for years.

Ruminating on the castle tour I thanked God that I didn’t live in medieval times. Besides the silt from the fireplaces, the soot from the candles, the dirt from the indoor livestock, the horrible bathroom conditions, non-existent bathing routines and the extreme cold in winter I realized everything was held in balance by fear.

Do what your lord says or be demoted to the kitchen, stables, or the dungeon. Get caught mishandling information and torture ensues. For women it was worse – anyone could do what they like when they liked, unless you were protected by a man of power. The most feared has control.

I guess that isn’t too far off from today. As I sit on my lanai looking out over Silicon Valley, some company presidents are where they are because they intimidate, manipulate and control their underlings. People are viewed as assets / resources to be used and thrown away when “finished.”

I am so glad that I gave allegiance and serve a King who isn’t like that. He asks for loyalty faithfulness and for us to complete our purpose, but if we screw up, he doesn’t banish us to the dungeon of hell. He isn’t about power and fear, but of grace and humility. He isn’t afraid of the up-and-coming – he actually gives them strategy and favor to implement what he has asked them to do.

What kind of lord are you serving with your life? Is your spirit anxious and filled with fear over doing wrong, making a miscalculation, being disapproved of? Or is your life marked with freedom, grace, humility, and joy?

God already made the ultimate sacrifice for you…he died. He gave his life so you can live in freedom, and not in anxiety. If you are overcome with fear and anxiety, you aren’t serving the God I know and love – you are serving something else.

Updates:

Living – God has been answering prayer - on the behalf of my buyer! Yep, the appraisal came in 10K lower than the asking price and due to the type of loan he has the price had to be dropped to keep the sale; add to that the Senate deciding to extend the first time buyer incentive until September he gets another 8K off the sale. Not bad – almost 20K saved! As of yesterday the construction won’t be finished by the end of the month (they will start painting the outside on the 28th); therefore close has been extended AGAIN. I am praying for an 11th hour miracle so I don’t have to pay another mortgage, home owners and special assessment fee…would you join me?!

Travel – there is a slight chance I may journey to Post Falls, ID in July…all my Spokaloo friends want to celebrate my birthday with me? Could be fun!

Work – Recruiting! Our next training cycle starts in about a month. My co-worker Jodene is up to her eyeballs in agendas and schedules…and I am prepping for all the applications. Whoo hoo!

Cool Stuff – thanks to the Mark831 Group and the “Richs’” I have a website! Check it out: www.denagrace.com.

Requests:

Living – for the condo to close sooner rather than later…June 30th would be an incredible relief to me.

Work – That I can get Brett’s new books up on Kindle, Nook and eBook – as well as in hard copy – by summers end.

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

Update #128 - Sacrifice Defined

"…if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things have passed away; behold all things have become new!" 2 Corinthians 5:17

Drakenstein Mountains,

Franschoek Valley outside of Cape Town, South Africa

One of my favorite TV shows is CHUCK. It is about a guy expelled from Stanford University who accidentally has top secret intelligence uploaded into his brain. He works for an electronics store and is the number one computer fix-it guy.

Because Chuck isn’t typical spy material the show is loaded with humor - and an element of sacrifice. Chuck can’t tell anyone he is a spy – not his best friend, not his sister, not his brother-in-law – and his super-hot girlfriend isn’t really a girlfriend, she is his CIA handler. Because of the Intel in Chuck’s head he is forced to say goodbye to “normal life” and hello to “adventurous superspy life.” Which, as cool as that may sound, comes loaded with personal sacrifice.

Sacrifice – what does it mean to you?

When you accept Christ as your savior 2 Corinthians says that the old is gone and the new has come. The old way of living, thinking, acting is gone and God’s way is now in place.

The kicker is, we have free-will and can choose God’s path or our own…even after we surrender our lives to him. We can choose to surrender our time, money, possessions, dreams, family, friends, plans and have God place new ones in our lives or we can continue to pursue what we think is best.

As I was thinking about this I remembered my 10th grade World History class (thank you Mr. France) and the part on feudal Europe. There were lords and there were serfs. There were those that owned the land and those who worked it. There were those who possessed the castles and those who served in them.

In God’s kingdom, what kind of servant are you? Are you doing what you were told without question? Do you agree to a task and then not do it? Do you boldly tell God “NO” when uninterested in a job – or don’t want to do it? Or are you the one doing your own thing and not even checking in with the Lord at all?

Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice for us. He died. He gave up his life – and so much more. Jesus was human and I think he had longings like any other man on earth. He forfeited so much; he let go having a prominent ministry on earth, a wife and family, dreams of significance and success, being understood, respected and accepted. He sacrificed it all for you.

I think that we forget what was paid for us. I think we forget the cost. I think we get wrapped up in our lives, our pain, our pressures that we fail to recall the life, pain, and pressure Jesus lived. If you have asked Jesus into your heart he has saved you – but have you honored his sacrifice by making him Lord?

What new dreams has God granted you? What tasks has he entrusted you with? What purpose are you to fulfill while here are on earth? What is God asking you to do…and what are you telling him in response?

Updates:

Living – Seattle had record breaking rains in May – the wettest in the last 100 years. What does that me for me? The building is still not painted, forestalling the railing installation, making the structure “unsafe” and the bank unwilling to grant a loan. They buyer was gracious enough (again) to extended closing until June 30th. If the construction isn’t completed by the end of the month the buyer is unable to purchase and I loose the sale. Pray for sun, pray for dryer temperatures, pray that the bank will process the loan, pray that God does a miracle in the next three weeks and the property will close.

Travel – I arrived in San Francisco last Wednesday feeling a bit woozy after 34 hours of travel and no sleep…thank you George Hsia for picking me up from the airport (I hope I made some form of intelligent conversation on the way to the house!). My luggage all arrived and I had an empty seat next to me all the way home…and a bulkhead row – gotta love leg room!

Work – I am slowly getting back into the swing of things, going through receipts (love to you Annie), travel vouchers, email, and piles and piles of paper. I will start in earnest editing Brett’s new books next week that will be US released in September.

Requests:

Living – see above…I need a miracle!

Work – For the team currently in Chennai, India serving businesses there, also for Brett in Nigeria who is working with government, church and banking officials. And that I can get Brett’s new books up on Kindle, Nook and eBook – as well as in hard copy – by summers end.

Travel – for the Chennai team as they (gulp) navigate Indian traffic, for Brett’s safety in Nigeria, and for everyone’s return trip to the US.

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