Conversations with God

Dictionary.com defines being vulnerable as "capable of or susceptible to being wounded or hurt" and "open to moral attack, criticism, temptation." Doesn't sound very appealing, does it? Most of us spend a lot of time remembering times we got wounded or hurt, and figuring out ways to make sure it doesn't happen again. Yet Jesus commands "Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another" (John 13:34). In fact, He spends a lot of time talking about love. And the truth is, you can't really love someone without being open to them. We grow up thinking love is a feeling. But the Bible makes it clear that the love God requires is a lot more. We are expected to truly connect with Him and with people. Love is an experience. The love God has for us, the love we have for Him, the love we have for others - it's not meant to be something we safely feel inside of our locked box of self-protection. Love is being wide open wit...

I am a preschool special education teacher. As with any job, the details and paperwork can start to drag on me at times. But then I have moments like I've had lately, and my perspective shifts again. We've always had a good "flow" in our room among the teaching staff. Both other teachers and supervisors often note the peaceful, friendly atmosphere in our class - despite the number of students having significant behavioral issues and other disabling conditions. There is a very specific reason for that:  I have declared since the beginning that my room is God's room, and He is welcome there. And that makes all the difference. Now, don't get the wrong idea - I am not telling Bible stories or praying with the students. That's not in my job description, and it probably isn't in yours, either. But it doesn't have to be. I belong to Him, I seek His Presence first in my life, and He pours out all I and my kids need. I don't have to talk about H...

According to Dictionary.com, to filter something is to “slow or partially obstruct the passage” of it. Think of a coffee maker or a sink drain. But filters are found beyond the kitchen. In fact, our minds can have filters! What do I mean by that? Here’s an example. The other day I was confiding in a person I greatly respect. She told me, “Millions of people are dealing with the same thing you are. Everyone is dealing with something.” My first response was to get defensive. I felt like she was saying my experience didn’t matter. But after I took time to think about it, I realized what had happened. Where I heard “Get over it!” she was actually saying, “You’re not alone.” How did that happen? I had a filter. We are born open and innocent. Look how simply a 4-year old accepts whatever you tell him! But negative life experiences can create filters. And from then on, every word and action toward us gets twisted from it's original intent. A filter can be rejection, fear, perf...

Recently my church had a youth and young adult conference. The Saturday evening service was followed by an altar call for those willing to give their lives wholeheartedly for Jesus. I watched as dozens of young people flooded the altar in response. Some received prayer from others; many simply fell on their faces and began crying out to God. This was more than an emotional response to a good sermon. Many of these “kids” stayed at the altar for close to an hour. The band was gone, the lights were low, but there they were – teenagers and 20-somethings huddled in groups, crying out to God to change them and use them for His glory. But I’m not a young adult - so how is this move of God in young people relevant in my life? Here it is – I can be as on-fire for God as I want. I can pray hard and love hard and see lives changed everywhere I go. I can give to missions in Africa and then be a missionary in my own city. I can pour my life into prayer and Bible study until the day...

"Every church should have a sound." I heard a pastor say that recently, and it has stuck with me. As I've mulled it over, though, it's boiled down to the individual level - every person in the kingdom of God should have a sound. But what does that really mean? "A sound?" What is that? The Lord's Prayer, from Matthew 6:9-13, includes the plea: "Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." When you really think about that, it sounds great - but how do you really get that to happen? How do we get what's on heaven to come down here to earth? We release it. It would be wonderful if God just had to point His finger and BOOM! it's done, but that's not how He established it. He's chosen to use people. And there are morals and good deeds and all kinds of great surface stuff we can do. But this goes deeper than that. Or it can, if you're willing. Every person has the opportunity to release the so...