Abba & Family

As I have been listening to a book on the Millenials (those born 1980-2000) which is the largest generation since the Baby Boomers, I was struck how the statistics reveal that this is a very family-centered generation.  In Luke 1:17 in speaking of John the Baptist it is said, "It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, TO TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS BACK TO THE CHILDREN, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."   It is amazing to hear a book, that is looking at a statistical sample (1200) of the nearly 78 million, say that this is one of the most family-centered generations in history!  I see Abba's heart for family being actually displayed in the attitudes and relationships or this generation but the Kingdom takes it to a new level.  I believe that no one can have the kind of family relationships they dream of without a revelation of Abba and who they are in Him.  In Ephesians 3:14-15 the Holy Spirit through Paul says, "For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name..."  It is from the Father that all family comes from and it is in knowing our name, that we can experience what the next verses talk about.  The next verses talk about experiencing the height, depth, width, and breadth of the love of Christ.  I believe Abba's heart is that we experience here on earth "heavenly families" because the original design of families was smashed and damaged by sin's entrance into the Garden.  I believe that the finished work of Christ has restored family and even expanded it, not only do we have the potential to have life-giving, honoring. loving, and alive biological families but we can be connected to the greater family of God (His Kingdom family of all those "in Christ).   When there is a Body of believers who walk in God's ways as His children and relate to each other through Kingdom values (based on what Jesus has done), then this becomes a transformational community that impact all those who come into to contact with them.  Unfortunately too many Body of believers are not functioning in God's grace towards one another but in a lower level of life which is based on the flesh and fleshly values.  A culture of grace is empowered and equipped to deal with people's mistakes in an environment of hope, restoration, personal responsibility, and freedom.  The Word says that in James 2:13 that, "...mercy triumphs over judgment.", which  in essence says that to exalt over or to be higher than.  Thus judgment is a reality of the natural world that is active and operational but mercy (flowing from Christ on the cross) is more powerful and life-giving that judgment or justice.  A culture of grace in a family would be a place where the very life of God (Zoe) could be displayed and even give others a taste of Heaven.  People in our society are longing for authentic, transformational, and life-giving Christianity (re-presenting Jesus) not the form of fleshly living that is often displayed.  This is another mark of the Millenials they are looking not for Jesus in church or institutions but are interested in people who are authentic, transparent, have integrity, and really care about them (sounds like Jesus).  In other words Millenials are not interested in Religion but would be drawn to a people who are authentically living out "the life of Christ".  The Body of Christ has been truly made a family through what God has done "in Christ" not through our programs, our effort, or the next leadership trend.

In His Family,
Bret

Father who sees all and loves

As I have been slowly working my way through the book of John to see the face of my Father in Jesus, I have come to a section in John 4 that the Holy Spirit highlighted for me.  The Samiritan woman at the well is having a discussion with Jesus about water which Jesus turns to spiritual things and living water.  At one point in the discussion when she finally asks him for some of this living water, he invites her to call her husband.  This is a time when she gets exposed because Jesus through a word of knowledge points out that she has had five husbands and the man she is currently with is not her husband.  In this culture to have many different men either through marriage or simply being unmarried would have been a scandal if it was revealed.  Good reason she came out to gather water in the hottest part of the day when no one else would be around, it may be she wanted to avoid public scorn for her lifestyle.  When Jesus spoke out about her life, He pointed out what she spoke that was true but also revealed what she had not shared.  Then later the woman says, "Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is it?" (John 4:29).    I put in bold this amazing statement she made, she had such an encounter with Jesus that she felt as if Jesus told her all the things that she had done.  As we look at the passage the only area of her life Jesus discussed with her was her intimate relationship but I believe the encounter was so deep and profound she felt He was staring straight into her seeing everything.  As she shares this encounter with the people in her town, she does so openly with no shame.  I believe she saw such acceptance and love in His eyes (grace) that she experineced no shame or judement.  I believe Jesus is inviting us into this same kind of naked vulnerability that this woman experienced but through the grace of His presence there is no shame.  Grace changes everything, no longer do we have to hide behind our fig leaves and masks.  This woman was not changed by attempting to change her life but through being exposed to the living water of the Spirit through Christ.

In His Grace,
Bret

Child Dreams

Dreams can be the source of so much joy, excitement, and then also pain, disappointment, hurt, and sadness.  But however you feel about dreams, they will remain important to the human spirit and I believe to our Abba.  I once heard Graham Cooke say, "you don't inherit through logic but through dreams."  It seems that dreams are one of the languages of Heaven and yet on earth can be the source of so much pain.  Jesus says this about children, "and said, "And He called a child to Himself and set him before them,Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."  (Matthew 18:2-4)  I point this out because it is children who are more free to dream, imagine, and go into fantasy.  Yet to experience the Kingdom of God Jesus is inviting us (and the disciples) to become like little children again and dream.  It is adults who are constantly worried about how much it will take to do something, how to do it, when to do it, if you can do it, and getting it done by the deadline.  These are not the things of dreams but of the everyday world of work, home, school, and life in the adult world.  Everything has to do with the limits, the amount of resources, managing what I have, and staying within the boundaries.  When we choose to enter into the world of dreams, limits are blown away and the only barriers are the ones we put up.  Interesting that Jesus would hold up children as the ones who could enter the Kingdom because they know how to dream, trust, get excited, play, and see beyond this world.  Since the Kingdom of God is not something we can see with our natural eyes, the eyes of our heart need to be opened up (Ephesians 1:18).  For me I gave up dreaming as a child because I judged others who had dreams that never happened.  After I had been continually disappointed when I would dream I gave up dreaming and became an adult at early age.  Failure is part of life, yet when you let failure take your dreams than you lose hope because we were made to dream.  The Lord showed me that He made me to dream and that He likes when I risk to dream.  I recently worked with a young woman involved in a legalistic cult, one of the things the Lord showed me that was taken from her was her dreams.  Legalism is very black and white, so creativity is sacrificed for control, predictability, and selfish gain.  Our spirit was made to soar in the heavenly places "in Christ" but how are we going to do that if we don't imagine but simply look at the day to day life and the natural world.  Through Christ's finished work we are able to soar, things that were once totally impossible can become possible for those who will have their imagination directed through Christ.  Dreams come to us in seed form, they are ideas that are far beyond where things are now and we are today.  Seeds are fragile, so are our dreams and the need an environment where they can grow and take root.  Often at this stage is when the Enemy seeks to destroy dreams through all the thoughts that say the dream is not possible, practical, or will ever happen.  When we agree with these thoughts then they start the process of aborting the seed of the dream that God wanted to birth through us, we need a renewed mine, others that will believe in us, and the work of the Holy Spirit to ultimately bring the dream to pass.  The YouTube clip is actually an clip for a past Conference but he says well what keeps us from our dreams.  It was God who dreamed the biggest dream ever possible to redeem a world that had been distorted and twisted through the entrance of sin.  Christ's entrance in the world was the ultimate dream come to fruition.

In the Master Dreamer,
Bret

Naked Honesty

As I was at a conference in Myrtle Beach, SC listening to a John Lynch who wrote "TrueFaced" I was challenged by the Lord how powerful honesty is.  Living in grace is the only way that we can take off the masks, be totally honest, and be completely loved and accepted.  I was also listening to another sermon that talked about Hebrews 4:13 which says, "And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do."  The speaker talked about this verse referring to our inability to hide from God and that all things are exposed but this is not scary because we are totally accepted and righteousness in His sight "in Christ".  Also Ephesians 5:13 says, "But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light."  Also in 1 John the Lord talks about walking in the Light and God being Light.  I believe the Lord is revealing to me the power and freedom in walking in honesty, vulnerability, and openness before God and others.  This takes courage because in our society we are constantly hiding behind masks, false identities, and busy schedules to not expose the hidden places of our lives.  I have learned to live a hidden life early on as a child and it seems that it is always a risk to open up areas of my life, putting off the old man which is a darkness dweller.  I like so many desire an intimate relationship with the Lord and vital connections with family, friends, and others but this is constantly putting pressure against the desires of the Old Man who wants to remain hidden and safe.  One book I read said that it always takes courage to be honest, I would agree whole-heartedly.  I am so glad that Christ in me has courage because I know in of myself I will let the Old Man have his way.  As I was sitting at the Conference a deep desire was stirred for greater and more authentic community but I know there is a cost.  Protection and safety are core needs of every human being, everyone has a way of meeting these needs but if we are going to truly live abundantly we must throw off the Old Man with his deceitful lies and risk rejection to be fully known and fully loved.  I see so many times in counseling where people can no longer hold inside the secrets, struggles, failures, and pain that they have hidden in the darkness.  The exposure of their inner world is a big part of the freedom people experience, I believe they are experiencing Jesus and New Covenant righteousness.  It is now our new nature to be Light dwellers, yet the Old Man so loves the dark and being hidden.  Pure unconditional love invites us into the Light where we can be fully known and fully loved.  His love is a safe place but we must be willing to lay down our old safe places where we have been hidden inside, I notice the Holy Spirit can be unrelenting gently but consistently pushing me towards the Light.  Again it is counter intuitive that we must die to really live but I see this is the only way.

In the Light,
Bret

Treasure in Earthen Vessels

"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves." (2 Corinthians 4:7).  As the inner prompting of the Lord has led me to honor my father, I took time with his best friend growing up to hear more of the story of who he really was over his short lifetime.  As we sat in a screened in porch area of an old golf club backing the 18th tee in the Georgia mountains there was calm in the air as I listened to the stories of my dad's best friend.  I got a very different picture in my mind than the one that had been imprinted on me of a father who abandoned me through suicide.  Here was a young man full of hopes, energy, compassion, fun, and good-hearted joking around finding his way in life.  This verse in 2 Corinthians is offensive to the values of our culture of self-effort, having it together, and not showing weakness.  I am coming to believe that we were made weak/earthen vessels (to depend on God), yet it is our humanity that we seem to be at war with instead of accepting it.  I believe the Lord directed me to this passage as I thought about seeing God's Spirit in and through my dad and his life, even though he ended his life in such a horrific way.  My dad's best friend continually pointed to this amazing spirit in my dad of compassion, giving of one's self, a search for greater enlightenment, and genuine desire to help people.  He circled back around in the conversation several times to my dad's boundless energy and all his ideas, that he admitted wore him out.  It is no wonder Jesus made a bold statement that He had come to give abundant life but just before had given a dire warning about the thief coming to steal, kill, and destroy.  Many years ago I went to visit my dad's grave site, still in the middle of years of grief dragging on like a comedy that is no longer funny.  As I stood that gray day at the family grave site and then found my dad's full-length grave stone, the Lord spoke deep in my heart that the passion that was in my father that was from Him did not die and that now this same passion lived in me.  As the Lord continues to refine the direction and call He has given me in life, my sense is this passion is the love of the Father for His people.  I believe it is the ultimate journey in every one of our lives to see the loving face of our Father and hear His life-giving words that become our very identity.  After this safe of life had shared his stories, insights, and memories about my dad, I asked him to pray for me sensing there was an important impartation of grace that he had been given through my dad to bestow on me.  This time not only helped to restore a missing piece in the puzzle but also gave me a deeper sense of who I was by seeing who God was in my dad's life.  Honoring him by seeing the treasure in him without stumbling over the reality of his humanity, especially how he see shortly cut his life off when I was only 6 years old.

Hearing Abba's Voice,
Bret