ChurchApplied

Dreaming With God

Where do dreams come from? Do they originate with careful thought and planning, or do they start as simple ideas that lodge in our minds and mutate into wild aspirations? Many dreams do come true--dreams to finish school, get married, have children and pursue a career. But others are more elusive--like the desire to live in the country, or the dream to spend a summer in Ireland, or to learn how to play the piano. What about the dreams we thwart because our practical, reasoned minds can't see beyond playing it safe and avoiding risks?

Joseph was considered a dreamer by his brothers because he looked beyond his present circumstances and vocalized some of his peculiar thoughts. He wanted to pursue God's promptings and follow His mysterious call.

Dreams keep us aching, reaching and straining for what lies ahead. If we ever reach a point where all of our dreams are realized, what will we do? What will propel us into tomorrow's quest for discovery and truth!

Sometimes it's hard to distinguish our dreams from our wants. Does wanting something that is just beyond our reach turn it into a dream?

Do you ever want something badly that God wants? Do I? It's pretty easy to find things in the here and now that we desire. Needing and wanting occupy our thoughts and minds throughout much of our lives. But how much time do we spent wanting what God wants? Do our dreams ever intersect with His? If not, can we say that we are Christian?

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Cry Out to Jesus

When we see all the suffering and heartache around us, and when we feel it ourselves, there is only One who can satisfy --Cry out to Jesus!

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Permission to Relax

Sabbath is a lost concept! The idea of people temporarily abstaining from work and play long enough to let their emotions catch up with their brains is foreign. This is especially true in western culture where we cram as much as we can into each day and still feel that we aren't doing enough.

The title of Tim Hansel's book, "When I Relax I Feel Guilty," says it all. Our culture never gives us permission to relax. Our Protestant Work Ethic requires us to stay busy seven days a week. Rest is for wimps. Our mantra is to work, produce, achieve until we crash and burn! What a way to check out!

What a way to live

I think people should take a vacation every 7 days. That's fifty-two vacations a year! It might sound radical, but it's a cool idea!

Every 7 days put your routines on hold for 24 hours and just relax. This is where the Sabbath idea comes in. The word "Sabbath" means rest, so every Sabbath is a mini vacation. During this time you can relax and enjoy nature, friends and family. It's a perfect time to take the focus off of yourself and your performance and to notice the people around you.

I started doing this when I was 18 years-old and its been great. I still have a lot to learn, but each Friday evening I push everything else away and adopt a vacation mind-set for the next 24 hours. If I get bills in the mail, I don't open them because I'm on "vacation." This same reasoning means I don't go to my regular job and pretty much stay away from stores and business transactions on Saturdays. Neither do I do chores around the house, at least not while I'm on "vacation." Those can wait until another day.

It Works For Me

During these "vacations" I usually go cycling, play guitar, write and do some photography. Sometimes I visit with family or friends, and I usually go to church where I worship with other believers. I love to hear stories about God and how He works in people's lives.

The whole idea is that I'm on vacation with God, and during this time I try to give Him my undivided attention. What's really cool is that God encourages this! In the fourth commandment we read:

"Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Work six days and do everything you need to do. But the seventh day is a Sabbath to GOD your God. Don't do any work--not you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your servant, nor your maid, nor your animals, not even the foreign guest visiting in your town. For in six days GOD made Heaven, Earth, and sea, and everything in them; he rested on the seventh day. Therefore GOD blessed the Sabbath day; he set it apart as a holy day" (Exodus 20: 8-11). The Message

Just in case we're tempted to think the Sabbath was made for God, Jesus said:

"People were not made for the good of the Sabbath. The Sabbath was made for the good of people" (Mark 2:27). New American Standard Version

If more people got into the Sabbath, I'm convinced we'd have less burnout, divorce and violence. People's lives would be more balanced and productive.

It's something worth thinking about!
______________________________

By Rich DuBose. ChurchApplied © 2008. Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE ®

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Dead or Alive

I once heard about a man who was mistakenly declared dead and refrigerated for five hours before a worker noticed he was still alive. The unidentified man, in the final stages of cancer, was declared dead by a physicain who was summoned to his home. After checking him carefully, the physician completed his death certificate and left.

It wasn't until an employee at a funeral parlor was preparing the man for burial that it was discovered he was still alive! After being transferred to a nearby hospital he died several hours later.

Alive On the Outside

It’s hard enough dying, but being alive and mistaken for dead is even worse. Unfortunately, many people's spiritual state is just the opposite. They think they are alive, but they're dead! They look alive on the outside, but on the inside they are rotten, putrid and decaying. I hate to say it, but this is true of us all.

Good News

Thank God, there is hope! In Jesus we can find new life even while our bodies are dying.

“When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions" (Colossians 2:13).

That's what I call good news!

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Better Late Than Never

I recently read about a man in Michigan who turned in a library book 47 years late. Robert Nuranen said he checked out "Prince of Egypt" for a ninth-grade assignment and failed to return it on time because his mother misplaced it. Through the years the book surfaced every so often, but for one reason or another, Nuranen never made the effort to return it.

Recently, after finding it in his attic, Nuranen realized if he didn't return it now, it might be another 10 years before he got around to it. He said, "fifty-seven years would be embarrassing." So, he finally returned the book, along with a check for $171.32 to cover late fees.

Obviously, Nuranen didn't have to return the book, or pay the late fees. So many years have passed no one at the library even knew it was missing. But for 47 years, Robert carried around the thought of returning "Prince of Egypt" to its rightful home.

You have to admire Nuranen for returning the book. Most people wouldn't bother after so many years. Obviously, he believes promises are meant to be kept.*

As I read this I couldn't help but wonder if there are some accounts in my own life that need to be settled. People I need to apologize to. Letters I need to write.

A few years ago I wrote a letter to my sixth-grade teacher that I had wanted to write for many years. She stands out in my mind because she affirmed my strengths. I loved drawing and would often do it in class instead of working on Math or English. I doodled on book covers, worksheets, note pads and whatever else I could get my hands on. In previous grades I was punished or reprimanded for "wasting time." But Miss Ross was different. She openly admired my work and made me feel talented and special. That was impressive for a scrawny sixth-grader who didn't have a lot of confidence in his scholastic abilities.   

One year while attending a Thanksgiving service, I was motivated to turn my desire into reality. That afternoon I tracked down my teacher's address and wrote her a "Thank You" note. A few weeks later I received a reply. She was very surprised and pleased that I had taken the time to remember.

Do you have any letters to write?

*AP story appeared on CNN Website, January 7, 2007  | Photo by Dana Bartekoske 

The Same Wavelength

When we say someone is not on the same "wavelength," we mean their thinking is different than ours. They do not share our ideas or opinions. Depending upon the nature of one's thoughts, the consequences of not being on the same wavelength can range anywhere from petty to serious. When I was 13 years-old, not being on the same wavelength with my teacher resulted in me being suspended from school on several occasions.

One of the challenges we face in trying to know God is our inability to understand His thoughts. Through Isaiah God says, 

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8, 9).

Fortunately, in this context, not being on the same wavelength is a positive thing. Though our views of God are often negative and restrictive, His continues to esteem us with hope.

^{" '}For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope' " (Jeremiah 29:11).

We can be thankful that God's thoughts are not ours and that He truly is on a different wavelength!

Prescription: Look up the word, "opinionated" in a dictionary and write down the definition. Is it OK to be opinionated? Can we have opinions without being offensive and critical of others?

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In Christ Alone

I'm a lover of both ancient and modern hymns, and because of my love for guitar (which I keep trying to play) I have always felt close to David. I'm looking forward to learning some of the melodies to his psalms and playing with him in heaven.

"I will sing a new song to you, O God! I will sing your praises with a ten-stringed harp." --Psalm 144:9 (New Living Translation)

Every generation has the opportunity to write new songs of praise and encouragement for God's people to sing. Here's one by Stuart Townsend that has already become a favorite of many.

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I know there are song writers out there who have written hymns and spiritual songs that can be a real blessing to the church. If you are such a person, please consider sharing it with us all. Visit StoryHarvest's song page.

Too Much of a Good Thing

Is it possible to get too much of a good thing? Too much  good food? Too much water? Too much fun? Too much sun? Too much family? Too much of God?

When I was in college I remember the Campus Medical Center having to aid a young man who had spent too much time reading his Bible. For days he neglected sleeping, eating and taking care of other personal needs--to the point that he became sick. He pigged out on the Bible and spiritual things.

I once attended a religious meeting that featured an excellent speaker. His stories and illustrations flowed forth with clarity and humor. His lessons were exceptionally crafted and spirit-charged. He was a delight to listen to--for a while. He didn't know when to stop. He went on and on.

Everything he shared was wonderful, but there's only so much the human brain can absorb before it starts to shut down. At that point listening to him felt like trying to drink from a fire hose. It was too much! God gave us two legs to walk away from overload. If we don't we may end up like the mule who gorged himself to death on corn, simply because it was there.

One of the principles we must all learn from an early age is how to achieve balance in our lives. As individuals, parents, disciples, trainers, leaders--whoever we are. Solomon spoke well when he said, "to every thing there is a season."

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Deliver Me From the "World"

Jesus said that His followers are to be "in the world, but not of it." What did He mean? What is "the world?" Surely it is not a single person, or country. Certainly He is referring to something other than this globe we inhabit. The Earth is somewhat innocuous, in and of itself.

Speaking of His followers, Jesus prayed. "They do not belong to this world any more than I do. Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world" (John 17:16-18 NLT).  Evidently, whatever the world is, it is the opposite of truth. And we know that God loves the world because He sent Jesus into the world to save it--evidently from lies.

I believe the world represents a collective mindset of God-avoidance. It has its own agenda; its own destination that excludes God at every turn. The world's answer to shared responsibility and community is individualism and isolation. Simon & Garfunkel's song, "I Am a Rock," depicts the ultimate destination of worldly thinking:

A winter's day
In a deep and dark December;
I am alone,
Gazing from my window to the streets below
On a freshly fallen silent shroud of snow.
I am a rock,
I am an island.

I've built walls,
A fortress deep and mighty,
That none may penetrate.
I have no need of friendship; friendship causes pain.
It's laughter and it's loving I disdain.
I am a rock,
I am an island.

Don't talk of love,
But I've heard the words before;
It's sleeping in my memory.
I wont disturb the slumber of feelings that have died.
If I never loved I never would have cried.
I am a rock,
I am an island.

I have my books
And my poetry to protect me;
I am shielded in my armor,
Hiding in my room, safe within my womb.
I touch no one and no one touches me.
I am a rock,
I am an island.

And a rock feels no pain;
And an island never cries.

Worldly thinking shuns individual responsibility, flaunts personal beauty, achievements, wealth and wisdom. It never views God or religion as a significant solution to any of its problems. Everything can be found within, or without, or from anywhere but God. This God-avoidance permeates every culture and race and is genetically passed from one generation to the next. Many are not consciously opposed or angry with God, they just don't feel any need for Him. God is irrelevant.

And so Jesus prayed, "I am in them and you [Father] are in me. May they [My followers] experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me" (John 17:22 NLT).

God longs for us [His followers] to need and trust each other; to love one another. To be different. This is such a significant departure from what the world does, when it happens, people stop, watch, and wonder.

"Dear God: Please deliver from the world."  --Rich DuBose

Photos by Stefan Hermans and Barun Patro 

Creative Love

Artists, songwriters and inventors have fertile imaginations. As a result, our world is filled with a wide array of paintings, drawings, sculptures, beautiful music and millions of useful products. The imagination is a wonderful gift that fills the earth with amazing feats and surprises. Without it, everything would be ordinary and drab.

If you've ever wondered where your creative compulsions come from, you only need to read a few verses in Genesis to find out.

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. . . and He said, 'let us make man in our image.' "

Men and women were produced by God's imagination. You are an expression of His artistic ability. Your bodily features, the color of your skin, eyes and hair, all came from the hand of heaven's resident Artist. To make you, God blended the colors just the way He wanted them and used shape and form to achieve the right effect. God is a master designer.

Although you are one-of-a-kind, you are a spin-off of God's original design. Everything started when God told Adam and Eve (His first two man/woman creatures) to multiply and fill the earth. People have the amazing ability to replicate themselves through a creative process known as procreation. Today, over 6 billion people inhabit Gods studio, and much like God, they have the capacity to dream, plan and create. Although their abilities are greatly restricted compared to His, they reflect many of the characteristics of God Himself.

Some question whether God was wise in creating people with the capabilities they have--including the freedom to create and destroy. The scary, but liberating thing is that people can decide for themselves what they will do. History details the aftermath of their decisions.

Questions to Consider

1. Is there a need for personal creativity in the church?

2. What spiritual dangers do creative people need to be aware of?

3. Does your church ignore or celebrate the creative gifts of its members?

Photo by Rich DuBose