Are We As Christians Scared of this Non-Believing World?

I don't really know why I feel led to write this post but because I feel led, I will obey. I was in a Bible study tonight and the conversation surrounding a specific question prompted this question in me: "Are we as Christians scared of this non-believing world?" 

The question in the study asked, "What opportunities do you have for contact with unbelievers? What could you to do increase these opportunities?" In thinking about this question, I have been at both ends of the spectrum, seasons in my life where it seemed like all that was around were "unbelievers" and then other times only "believers". And I began to think about which I prefer. 

When I worked at a Bible college, I often referred to the experience as being in a Christian bubble. My co-workers were Christians, our students were Christians and the only other thing I did besides work was go to church...with other Christians. I remember getting restless being solely around Christians. Don't get me wrong, it was pretty easy being in the Christian bubble. Many things were kept at bay due to the rules and regulations of the Bible college, at least I should say in my realm. We as staff went to chapel at least once a week and our days started with group prayer. It was a pretty great deal. But then I started to get stagnant and really restless. There was no one to share the Good News with. Yes, I encouraged the students and prayed with co-workers but as far as being around "unbelievers" I had to go search them out. I remember going to a specific restaurant, almost weekly, to try and develop a relationship with this one particular waitress, so I could tell her some Good News. (Trying to evangelize the world without relationship is pretty useless but I digress.) This soon to be friend was all up in the world, very non-believing and very much in need of Jesus (aren't we all?!) But minus this new friend, I pretty much remained in the Christian bubble.

This season of life finds me at an internship made up of 90% unbelievers and I attend a public university for  graduate school that probably consists of about 85% unbelievers. And when I think about my next internship, I will be in the darkest of the dark places, a mental health hospital with probably even higher levels of unbelievers. If I allow myself, I can become scared of the internship that lies ahead, scared of the unbelieving world that I live in and the world of mental illness that I am about to enter. But in those moments when I start to feel fear or find myself starting to pull away from the world so that it's doesn't influence me poorly, I have to remind myself that GREATER IS HE THAT IS IN ME THAN HE THAT IS IN THE WORLD!! I have no reason to fear the world or the unbeliever. I think that too often, Christians quote Scriptures that call for separation from the world to lead a holy life without balancing that out with the other half of Scriptures that call us to go into all the world and share the gospel or to go meet the needs of the needy or just plain go show them love. I know that I have been guilty of this so I am not trying to point fingers at anyone. I just feel a burning in my spirit that we as THE CHURCH need to rise up, to not fear the things of this world and to know that HE has overcome the world and since HE lives in us, so do we! When we look at Jesus' ministry, He was all up in the world! No, he didn't participate in all of the things of the world and I am not saying we should either but He was right in the mix, right next to the unbeliever showin' em love. 

I read a Beth Moore quote today that said something to the effect of "we don't share our faith because we don't have enough of it." This challenges me. And I would like to add that "we don't go into this unbelieving world because we are scared of it."

I don't want to be scared of this world or the unbeliever. I don't want to be ashamed of the Good News that transformed my life. I want to be such a bright light in a dark place that people are nearly blinded by the Jesus in me. And I want to have enough faith that I have plenty to share, an overabundance. 

Feel free to share your thoughts or comments. 

So, there's this...branch...

So, there's this...branch...yes, a tree branch, that has had my attention for the last several months and today I finally have the courage to talk about it! I noticed this branch in my front yard one day. Why? Because it's just not right. You see, instead of being parallel to the ground, like the other branches near it, this one is perpendicular and it looks as if it's heading South! It's leaves (or should I say needles) are mostly brown, with a few green ones here and there while the rest of the tree has remained green through and through. You can tell that this branch is barely hanging on. 

Sometimes, I feel like this branch.

I believe it came to it's current condition after the last Hurricane we had here. The storm took down many other branches and limbs but this one appears to be fighting to hang on, to stay connected. Since that storm, many more have come, the winds have blown and the rains have come but it remains. 

My mind meanders to John 15 (vs 1-8) where Jesus shares about the vine and the branches: 

I am the True Vine, and My Father is the Vinedresser. Any branch in Me that does not bear fruit [that stops bearing] He cuts away (trims off, takes away); and He cleanses and repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, to make it bear more and richer and more excellent fruit. You are cleansed and pruned already, because of the word which I have given you [the teachings I have discussed with you]. Dwell in Me, and I will dwell in you. [Live in Me, and I will live in you.] Just as no branch can bear fruit of itself without abiding in (being vitally united to) the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me. I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing. If a person does not dwell in Me, he is thrown out like a [broken-off] branch, and withers; such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire, and they are burned. If you live in Me [abide vitally united to Me] and My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. When you bear (produce) much fruit, My Father is honored and glorified, and you show and prove yourselves to be true followers of Mine. I have loved you, [just] as the Father has loved Me; abide in My love [continue in His love with Me].

There are times where, like this branch, I feel barely connected , like the storms of life have left me barely able to hang on. And then there are times when I know I am vitally connected, vitally united to the vine. 

I think my lesson to learn from the branch is to keep hanging on! Yes, the branch doesn't have much of a natural chance to be fully reconnected to the vine but thankfully, spiritually is a different matter! I want to remain vitally united with Him and I am thankful that He is my source of strength, hope and love!

Forget About It!

FORGET ABOUT IT!

I don't know about you but I have difficulty forgetting. I'm kind of like an elephant in that regard as the old adage goes, "An elephant never forgets." Many people have difficulty remembering things and as I have learned in my DSM class, there are many categories even for that (Amnestic Disorders, Alzheimer's Disorders, etc.)!

But yesterday I was reminded to forget. And the reminder went something like this:

"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past! See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs

up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland." 

~Isaiah 43:18-19 NIV

I like the way the Amplified Bible says it too:

"Do not (earnestly) remember the former things; neither consider the things of old. Behold, I am 

doing a new thing! Now it springs forth; do you not perceive and know it and will you not give heed to it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert."

Throughout Scripture we are often told to REMEMBER the things the Lord has done for us as a reminder of  His faithfulness to us. But here we are told to FORGET THE FORMER THINGS!! 

So, here's what I am forgetting, with the Lord's help:

*MY PAST SINS
*MY PAST HURTS

*MY PAST FAILURES

Let's FORGET ABOUT IT! (said with a thick Italian mobster-like accent!) ;) 

Power Source

I love when the Lord gives a natural experience to give a spiritual illustration! So, I will share with you!

My laptop is getting old in laptop years (yes, that's like dog years but worse!). Well, it's sad to say but I managed to kill my battery and so my laptop MUST REMAIN PLUGGED IN! A few months ago, I could unplug it for a few minutes and transfer it to another room and it would remain on but it's gotten to the point now, that if it comes UNPLUGGED, even if just for a second, it dies, which is what happened just before I started writing this post. Due to that fact, I am constantly checking my CONNECTION to make sure the cord is PLUGGED IN so my computer will work. In this, I have been reminded of John 15 in which Jesus shares the parable of the vine and branches. Here it is from the Amplified:

4 Dwell in Me, and I will dwell in you. [Live in Me, and I will live in you.] Just as no branch can bear fruit of itself without abiding in (being vitally united to) the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me.

⁵ I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing.

⁶ If a person does not dwell in Me, he is thrown out like a [broken-off] branch, and withers; such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire, and they are burned.

⁷ If you live in Me [abide vitally united to Me] and My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.

I don't know about you but sometimes fruit and tree illustrations are a little beyond my comprehension level since about all I do is see them from a far and I surely don't do any pruning. But because I am semi-technological, I get the idea of a power source being required and in my poor laptop's case, needing to remain vitally united the power cord. The Lord IS my power source but sometimes I come UNPLUGGED or disconnected and have to be PLUGGED back in and sometimes REBOOTED. Abiding is that place of staying PLUGGED IN. Apart from my power source, my laptop can do nothing. Apart from the Lord, I can't do anything either. 

So, let's stay PLUGGED in to THE Power Source. And if for some reason we get DISCONNECTED OR UNPLUGGED, let's plug back in quickly!

Carrying Grace

As I was coming home to rest in between doctor visits, I turned the radio up to listen. K-love, though, was full of static. I hit the button for my CD player only to find a CD I didn't want to listen to at that moment. So I reached for a small stash of CD's and hidden behind an African safari CD (don't ask) was a Hosanna First CD and it simply said "Prophetic Word 11/28/10". I knew this wasn't by chance and so I put it in the player. And here were the words that came through my speaker:

Don’t lose heart at this time says the Lord. Even though the struggles may seem to be difficult they won’t last forever. For this season that you’re going through, I want you to keep walking through. That season won’t last forever says the Lord. Be encouraged and know that I am God and that there is nothing impossible with me. There are times when you must walk down certain roads in order to get on certain highways. I am leading you and guiding you says the Lord. I have not forsaken you neither have I abandoned you and You’re not alone, I am with you. Draw close to me and know that this season of challenges will not last forever for I am bringing you out by the power of My Spirit. Those things that seem so difficult now, as you look up the mountain, you will rejoice as you stand on top of the mountain. For my refreshing is coming says the Lord, and I will minister to you. Draw near to me in this time and don’t get weary in well doing says the Lord. 

I remember this word being ever so needed in 2010 when I heard it the first time but it is just as relevant today! This past Sunday, Pastor spoke another prophetic word and the element that stuck out was that the Lord has not forsaken or abandoned me.

I hear ya Lord, loud and clear! :)

I stand in awe at the Lord's timing and his "carrying grace" (the term He gave me this morning). 

Turn, Turn, Turn

Well, well, well..yes, it has been awhile but here I am! I have told you guys before that this healing journey, while always well worth it, is quite possibly the hardest thing of my life. So, I am learning that there are seasons of debilitating pain, necessary silence, required rest, and then, refreshing recovery. 


With the Lord illuminating the seasons, He led me to re-read Ecclesiastes 3. I have read Ecclesiastes before but I'm gonna be honest, it's not my go-to book of the Bible, it's kind of in the same category as Job to me. It's quite depressing, actually. The author starts the book by talking about how "everything is meaningless." If that's not sobering, I don't know what else is. But in Ecclesiastes 3 we begin to read that there is a time for everything (that's the chapter heading!). You have probably heard the old song "Turn! Turn! Turn!" by The Byrds and they took the words pretty much verbatim from our passage here in Ecclesiastes. Here's how the NIV says it:


There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:  

    a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot, 
     a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
    a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
     a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
     a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
     a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,
     a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.

As I was re-reading this the other day, the verse that says "a time to kill and a time to heal" stood out like me on a mission trip in Africa...or Mexico...or China. I don't know about you but in my mind, a time to kill and a time to heal don't seem like they go together. So, I have been pondering that verse for a few days now. And, while I don't have a definitive answer for us as to the full meaning, I do have some life examples of the last season I have been in as well as some Scripture to help us explore. 

In Galatians 5:24 we are told that "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. 


In Galatians 2:20 we are reminded that "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me."


From these verses, we can identify that in our position as Christ lovers, death has already occurred. We HAVE BEEN crucified, which means it already happened, it's a done deal. What I fail to think about though, is that crucifixion is not only death but it is being KILLED. It is physically impossible to crucify (KILL) oneself, we can't do it. That's God's job and it happens at salvation. God kills our old sinful nature, he crucifies it. What we fail to understand is that in our condition here on Earth, we don't always see or recognize the death of our old nature. We still do a lot of the same things we did before we got saved. We often think the same, have the same attitudes, have the same wrong motives, etc. Oh, we may stop the external, visible things because we are now a Christian and Christian's aren't supposed to do that (as we are quickly told upon entering the church world). But Scripture says we HAVE BEEN crucified so why is our flesh still a problem if it's dead? Why does our flesh feel very much alive? Let's look at another Scripture in Colossians. 


In Colossians 3:5 we are told to "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry."


Okay, so....if we have been crucified and our sinful nature is dead, why are we being told by the Apostle Paul to PUT TO DEATH our earthly nature? If something is dead, what is the need for putting it to death? At first, this whole thing can seem confusing and even contradicting as all of these statements were penned by the same guy. But here's a little illustration the Lord just gave me to help us understand. 


While, I don't make it a habit of seeing things like this...have you ever seen a worm get cut in half or a snake get it's head chopped off? Well, if you haven't, consider yourself blessed. If you have, you know that at the chopping off or KILLING (for our purposes), the snake is dead. (He HAVE BEEN killed...pardon my grammar). However, the snake continues to move and even looks alive still because it takes some time for the heart to quit pumping and the snake to realize it's dead. Gross, I know...sorry! But I hope this helps us get the point. 

The PUT TO DEATH part of Colossians is me with the help of the Lord recognizing that I am dead to my earthly, fleshly nature and me allowing the Lord to make that a reality in every area of my condition or life here on earth which feels like death because it is. A time to KILL is necessary for the Christian because unless something or someone is DEAD (and I will add, that they know it)  they can't be raised back to life, which is the ultimate HEALING. Only dead things can be resurrected! 


So, death is becoming a reality in my life. The Lord is showing me things in my life that have not recognized there death yet. Those things are being "put to death" and I know that the next season is further healing. While a time to kill doesn't at first seem to go with a time to heal, death precedes resurrection! I am dead and I am slowly beginning to realize it. I hope you do too! 

Extreme Makeover: Natalie Edition

It has been over a month since my last post which is far from normal for me. In the posts leading up to this post-al lapse, I had shared that I was in a place of deep healing and the truth of the matter is, I still am. I have been in a season of quiet and a season of much revelation and quite honestly, I haven't had much to say...well, I haven't had much that I wanted to share, let's put it that way. I have realized that I like to give you guys the posts after the trial or when the season is starting to look up. But this morning I was reading in Soul Repair (one of 4 books I am working through right now) about testimony and how honest and humble testimony about my struggles and God's grace minister more to others than the flowery "Life was bad. God is good. I have no struggles in my life" stories. So, here we go with the honest and humble testimony!

I have shared with you guys the dangerous prayer I prayed in which I asked the Lord to debunk every lie that I have ever believed about myself and about Him. And He has been and is being faithful to answer that prayer.

One of the biggest lies that the Lord has shown me that I believe about myself is that I am my performance. If I perform well, I am good. If I perform poorly, I am bad. My performance is my identity. As such, I, of course, have made it my purpose and goal in life, to only perform well. I perform for myself. I perform to prove my worth to myself, to you and to God. I perform for you to like me and think well of me and ultimately so that you will not reject me. And the hardest pill of all to swallow is that I perform for God. If I pray enough, read my Bible enough, serve enough, fast enough, love enough, deny myself enough, minister enough, and trust enough, then God will accept me.

Now, cognitively, I know that these are all lies. I get it. I see it. I could preach to you about the fact that we are under grace and not under law. I could tell you that God could care less about your performance but just wants you as a person. But the reality is that truth is still getting inside of me. It's still en route to my inner parts. And I believe it will get there!

With this lie being at the forefront of God's latest revelations (well, I guess a deeper revelation is a better way to describe it), I have come to realize that my whole life has been that of performance or seeking approval. I have also realized that I do most things out of this nagging sense of obligation, this sense that if I don't do it, who will? (NOTE: I am not saying service is bad. Please don't misinterpret me. I am saying that our motivations for serving need to be in the right place, not as a route to favor, approval or acceptance.) 

So, as you can imagine, this greater revelation of myself has rocked me to my core. The Lord is stripping me of everything I have known, every place I get approval, every form of service and law and every sense of obligation. My house has been built on sand because it's not my performance that makes me acceptable, it's Jesus. The Lord is doing Extreme Makeover: Natalie Edition and we are in demolition mode right now. But the hope of re-building and getting a better than ever, grace-walking Natalie is very real. Ultimately, I wish it only took 7 days and we could yell "Bus driver, MOVE THAT BUS!" I recently read this in one of the books I am reading: No one asks a surgeon after surgery, "How long did it take?" but rather "Did you get it all?" Lord, I want you to get it all! And I look forward to the day when You shout, "Bus driver, MOVE THAT BUS!"