Update #133 - Spring

"…the joy of the LORD is your strength." Nehemiah 8:10

Portland, OR - Taken by a friend of mine

Every year Spring arrives. New verdant green leaves slowly unfurl in the suns rays. Tree blossoms become full flower and daffodils, tulips and narcissus mark the beginning of the season. Intermittent dark skies bringing rain, wind and showers which quickly dispel leaving behind soaked earth, fresh smelling air, and glistening surfaces as the sun reappears from behind scuttering clouds.

Spring brings with it renewal, rebirth and regeneration. It reminds us winter isn’t forever, and that death experienced in the fall is followed by life a few months later.

Spring, in the household I grew up, is a time for cleaning. Deep, empty every cupboard and closet, type cleaning. All fixtures, faucets, walls, and appliances get a wipe down, clean out and if needed, tune up. All blankets, pillows, and other miscellaneous linen are laundered – whether they need it or not. Furniture is taken apart and vacuumed, and if needed, steam cleaned. And my Dad goes through the garage in the same manner…

Back in pioneer days, spring was a time of checking fences and inspecting wells. Hard winter conditions caused the wood and wire to bend and break, and well openings to collapse, cave in, or disintegrate. Field hands were put to work fixing fences and re-establishing wells.

As I was pondering my parent’s laborious cleaning ritual, and the mend and fix routine of the pioneers it gave me pause. Shouldn’t we do this on the “inside” as well? Shouldn’t we pause to ponder what needs to be tuned up, cleaned out, laundered, and reorganized? Shouldn’t we re-evaluate our priorities and restructure if needed? Shouldn’t we check where our boundary wires have broken and what wells have gone dry?

Patching, restoring, restructuring – all is good and profitable if there is a working well to refresh the process. If the well is dead, dry, and full of decay then you have a problem…literally and figuratively.

Wells have been around since just after Noah’s flood. They provide water, they provide refreshment, they provide a place of meeting, and they are a life giving source to a community. Wells (running water) are a necessity in any settlement. Back to the pioneers, they would find a well site, establish an armory, and then start building the settlement. Water was tantamount in priority.

In spiritual terms, I think joy is one of the wells of God. The Bible says that the “joy of the Lord is your strength.” Run out of joy, run out of strength.

How is your joy well? Is it clogged? What keeps it from freely filling, flowing, and funneling to all aspects of your life? Unforgiveness? Bitterness? Anger? Resentment? Or is it the simple reason that you haven’t asked God for his joy, his strength, his resources?

What is the well in your life? Where do you go for refreshment? Where do you find community? Where do you get your strength? What deep reserve do you reach into to battle the next obstacle?

Updates:

Living – I signed ANOTHER extension yesterday since we won’t be able to close by today’s (18th) deadline; BUT, it looks promising that the property will close by the 27th!

Work – We are in the midst of training, and prep of the upcoming trips abroad. I am also focusing on editing / publishing three of Brett’s new books, and getting The Big Weekend staffed and ready. Brett is heading to Nigeria with a small team in September and our other trips will be in October and November.

Cool Stuff – I had several divine meetings the last few weeks that have opened several doors – I am so excited to be able to offer intercession training via partnering with a local church!

Friends – Loretta, a close friend from Seattle, came down last weekend and we had a great time! Did you know the Andrews Sisters aren’t really Andrews’…but Andreos…their Dad, a Greek immigrant, changed his name when he arrived in the US (I already knew I wasn’t related!).

Requests:

Living – For blessing and favor on the buyer’s bank…that the loan will be processed without delay and the funding will come through for Mr. Martin.

Work – Books re-published, up to Kindle and for training to progress smoothly. And for the upcoming trainee / alumni ‘weekend away;’ I will find the right speakers, testimonial givers, and intercessors to staff the retreat.

Update #132 - Poor Among You

"Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:3

California Coastline

This verse confused me for a long time. I didn’t understand it at all. If I am poor in spirit, how can I have the kingdom of heaven? Don’t I need to be plentiful in the Spirit of God to get to heaven…isn’t that like a pre-requisite? But then I read the verse in another version and it made sense to me (go Good News Bible) "Happy are those who know they are spiritually poor; the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.”

I am sure you have heard the adage “the more I learn, the less I know” implying that as we grow more knowledgeable in an area we realize the depth of the subject is much deeper than we could have ever imagined. I think the same is true about God and his kingdom…the more we learn, the less we know. Plumb the depths of heaven and you will need an eternity of string.

God is big. God is complex. God is multifaceted. Where he is knowable, accessible, and caring, there isn’t any way that we - as humans - can ever know every facet, every thought, every characteristic, every way of God. But, those of us who try, who chase after God knowing we are “poor in spirit” are rewarded. How? The kingdom of God is revealed and belongs to us.

What does this look like? I think it means that we start to understand God’s heart on certain matters; we begin to understand things from his viewpoint, his perspective, his heartbeat. We begin to act on his behalf - being his emissaries in the world. Essentially, we are bringing heaven to earth by acting as he wills when he wills it. A caring word, a random act of kindness, a thoughtful gesture, a prayer, a prophetic word, a meal brought, a card sent, garbage taken out…

Being poor in spirit is everyone’s condition…none of us is wealthy in this area when compared to Jesus. The query is, what are you doing about it? If you were monetarily poor, you find a way to make money. If you are educationally deprived – you find a way to teach yourself. If you are medically deprived you improvise (one woman had cancer, read about what makes tumors grow, took that out of her diet and the dang thing shrunk!). If you don’t have a car you use a bus, bike or taxi. Get my point?

Being spiritually poor isn’t a physical in-your-face condition. But it does reveal itself in many, many ways on a daily basis. What is your language like when you are upset? How is your anger level when you are cut-off in traffic? How do you respond to a rebellious smart-mouthed teenager? How do you deal with conflict? Are you a revenge plotter?

Being poor in spirit is a continuum…you never become “wealthy” but you do get out of the basement and into the penthouse suite with some work. Are you ready to be rewarded? Do you want the kingdom of heaven to belong to you? Then seek after God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and see what he has to offer.

What can you do today to improve your spiritual poverty? What action can you take to get you up a floor or two on the continuum? What actions in your day to day life reveal your poverty level? Who else is “poor” around you and how can your life influence them for the positive?

Updates:

Living – the painters didn’t finish by July 28th, but are completed now. We are awaiting railing installation and finalizing of the buyer’s bank loan. Hopefully I will be completely out of escrow by the 18th…or my buyer walks. I can’t say I blame him – it has been 7 MONTHS!

Travel – Made it home to California safely and don’t expect to travel again until late October.

Work – I get to learn a new software product! InDesign 5 here I come!

Cool Stuff – I have a website! Check it out: www.denagrace.com

Requests:

Living – For blessing and favor for the construction company – they have been dealing with tricky sub-contractors, inclimate weather, delayed suppliers, and impatient homeowners.

Work – Books re-published, up to Kindle and for training to progress smoothly

Book – What does God want me to do with all these devotionals? What kind of book does he want? How does he want it organized / categorized? What is the next step?

PS – Happy Birthday Dad! I love you!