I grew up in the CRC, and am still here, along with my family. I'm married to Daryl, who has a construction business. I had a CPA license for 10 or so years, then I added EX to the front, and MOM to the back, so now I'm an EX CPA, MOM =). I am MOM to Duncan, Ian and Samantha. Our family also owns a raspberry farm, and in the summers we get to work out there.
Praise the LORD! this link to this video of Matthew west's song, my own little world, by Christ Church of the Heartland in Texas is working again. It is such a powerful video and it was profound timing when I first watched it...
hmmm. lots of thoughts, here's a few... not sure if you left this out on purpose or why it's you didn't mention it, but one of the areas I feel like the LORD is opening up to minister to us is through the gift of prophecy, which will use both creation and the Word. Is the Spirit in us a "3rd book" . The Word is one, creation or confirmation via the natural is one, and the Spirit in us ministers to us as well, all 3 will point us to God (which the Spirit is of course) and help us live our lives through daily leading and guidance.
next thought... a few weeks ago, was wrestling with "programs", and a conclusion I came to, was that God is an infinitely creative God. We (humans) tend to jump on something that worked a few times and then turn it into a program and market it and say how it will "grow" your church or whatever. What i believe is God wants us to spend time listening to Him every time. He is so creative and longs for us to spend time with Him. Sometimes I wonder if using "cut and dried" programs, gives us an out of spending time in "listening" communion with Him, but then we miss out on what He's got planned for us because we are using and "old word" so to speak.
and the last thought I'll share is a confirmation of this insight...
boq... Imagine a church filled with people whose every moment is attuned to the presence and glory of God. This would be attractive. This would be meaningful. This would grow God’s church. eoq eoqee
that reminded me of a statement for Mary Geegh's little book "God Guides" p10... "How wonderful the world will be when everyone is guided by God's Holy Spirit..." not saying we'll see perfection here on earth, but i think it is a key for His Kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Blessings to you as you pursue the thoughts that the Spirit is stirring up =)..
hmmm... I think of it as a treasure hunt... letting the Holy Spirit give you guidance/ "clues" to find the treasure aka songs, scriptures, message, etc. He wants you to use to create a new masterpiece of worship, so that when it's all together, it's a beautiful "crown" to offer to Jesus, that also ministers at some level to everyone worshipping, no matter where they are at spiritually.
Henry, you mention that we ignore the bodily resurrection of the Man Jesus - I would submit that we have missed spiritual intimacy with Him, which that concept seems to make us very uncomfortable, but my perception on that could be wrong. I would also submit we have to some degree ignored and quenched the power of the Holy Spirit, and been in contempt of some of His gifts, particularly those gifts we can't explain...
I struggle with when someone thinks someone else has spiritual "superiority", maybe they are sensing pride in some - but let's not throw out the baby with the bathwater on this. I would suggest these "dymanic experiences" are the prompting and work of the Holy Spirit in their lives, and not something to be disdained... everything we are, including our spiritual experiences are a gift of God, through His Holy Spirit, we can do nothing without Jesus... the concept of spiritual superiority shuts down every testimony of what God is doing in our lives, here and now... Yes, none of this has any meaning without salvation and we can not do it on our own, but as a loving and generous Father, He gives us fresh encounters with His goodness and love daily, and I hope we would want to share those testimonies, but when those hearing the testimonies receive them with skepticism or criticism or contempt, instead of joy and thankfulness, then we are quenching the Holy Spirit and His work in our lives... if we don't share those testimonies, we are quenching Him as well... It is all for His glory, and our good... I would hope the response to testimonies of what God is doing in our lives, would be met with joy and excitement, and be encouraging to others... instead of threatening.
I also think we need to recognize that there are different levels of maturity of believers, in our faith..
If we are not "experiencing" the Holy Spirit, then we need to look at our attitude toward the Holy Spirit.. are we quenching Him, through contempt of His gifts, through skepticism/criticisim, through unbelief that He still speaks to us in various ways (which includes making scripture living and active)?
having grown up in the crc, and still a part of it, I have noticed a significant resistance to how the Holy Spirit works via some giftings, for a variety of reasons, which is an entire discussion in itself...
unfortunately the new age stuff is the enemy's counterfeit of the working of the Holy Spirit, and so there will be things that look the same, but are oh so very different because of where it is coming from (Holy Spirit vs enemy spirit), with good fruit from the Holy Spirit and bad fruit from the enemy... this is where testing of the spirits (I John 4:1/1 Thess. 5:19-22), and discernment comes in...
When we love God with all our hearts, souls, strength and mind... that will overflow to loving our neighbors... and we will desire to be with Him via the Word, worship and prayer, to share about Him, to trust Him, and to obey Him... He will consume us, and we will be obsessed with Him and serving His Kingdom
Bless your heart, Karl, for going out on this limb... yup, I think we/crc are being stretched into areas that are new for us... I believe this is a good thing... Josh. 3:4... then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before...
there might be another distinction here... that between testimonies that God gives as encouragement for us personally, along with other believers, and what is evangelism for non-believers... our testimony is not limited to our conversion, but is added to on a regular basis as we walk in faith..
Regarding spiritual intimacy, I think of Eph. 1:17-18, where Paul prays for the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that we may know God better - as one example of a scriptural call for intimacy... I believe almost every time the OT talks about "knowing" God, it is the same Hebrew word (yada) that He uses for marital intimacy... will our knowledge/experience be limited? of course, because God is an infinite God, and so we can only know a very small part of Him, a drop in an ocean, but even that drop that we can know is beyond amazing... Scripture uses the analogy of husband and wife, between Jesus and the Church (Eph. 5:32 - and song of songs for almost 2000 years, it's only in the last 100 years or so, that some no longer support this analogy in song of songs - which is an entire discussion)...
that thaand that the eyes of our hearts are enlightened, so we can know the hope of our inheritance... eyes of our hearts refers to a spiritual experience... this is our inner being, also referenced in Eph. 3:16, where the Spirit is working in us... our faith is Spirit and truth... it takes both working together... Paul says he does both when he prays in I Cor. 14:14-15... praying in tongues is a spiritual experience... the peace that passes understanding is a spiritual experience, becoming new creations in Christ is a spiritual experience (2 Cor 5:17)... having our hearts of stone become hearts of flesh (Ez 36:26), having His Spirit dwell in us, is a spiritual experience... I have testimonies of when He has melted my heart, when my heart was getting hard and cold, and aloof and proud, and in less than a moment He melted it, it was not emotionalism, because there wasn't enough time for that, but there were "triggers" that He used... was there dialogue with God during these times... oh yes... they were terrible and beautiful experiences at the same time, and I'm so glad He didn't let my heart stay hard...
King David talks about praising Him with all our "inmost being" ... so that our youth is renewed like the eagles - that sounds like a spiritual experience... that "deep rooted assurance" of faith mentioned somewhere earlier (i think it's referred to in HC Q&A 23), is a spiritual experience - it's that you know that you know in your inner being through a gift of the Spirit, even though there is no tangible "faith" to show other than through our actions...
those are just a few examples from scripture that I can think of off the top of my head...
Hebrews 6 talks about the elementary teachings, which includes faith in God (v1), and growing/maturing beyond that... I know this is a difficult passage with various interpretations, and maybe you interpret this differently, if so I would be interested in knowing how you view this...
as for "hiding" our works, interestingly Matt 5 tells us we are a light on a hill, and we are not to cover it up...let your light shine before men SO THAT others may see our good deeds and praise our Father in heaven... they are for HIS GLORY!!!
being "all alone" is such a common method of the enemy to bring discouragement and hopelessness... I'm reminded of Ms. Martha's pity party in Luke 10:40, "...alone" or "...by myself?" can relate at times and have indulged in similar pity parties... but as believers we can recognize it for what it is...
LORD, continue to connect those who are reaching out in loneliness, that feel isolated and like they are the only ones that are struggling with something, we pray for Divine connections that only You can orchestrate, and give you the glory and thanks, in the Name of Jesus.
re-reading your posts, Henry, I have another question for you... how did you know you were called to be a pastor (maybe I'm wrong about you being a pastor, but that's what i understand from you "entering the ministry" in your 20's)? You say God has never told you what call to take, or what car to buy... so then when pastors are "called"... what do they mean?
Well Henry, I agree that as the Church, we need to focus and proclaim more of Jesus and His sacrifice - that's why I love the Moravians and Count Zinzendorf... yesterday's devotional by Oswald Chambers in his My Utmost for His Highest also confirmed what you have shared...
but I think there is a place for personal testimonies as well,even in their weak, imperfectness, to encourage fellow believers... recognizing that each testimony is a gift as well, and so giving God the glory... we can have contempt for our part in it, but I think we have to be careful about being contemptuous of what God via the Holy Spirit is doing when He gives us Divine insight/direction/leading/guiding as Scripture tells us He does and will..
in another post you mentioned something about how do we know if it's God or self, or the enemy, and you gave an example of a father killing his children... a simple test of lining it up with scripture would discern that is not God, He is life, He tells us to choose life, He commands us not to kill... but some might argue that God allowed His Son to be killed and so indirectly He killed Jesus, because He could have prevented it... but we know Jesus willingly went to the cross for the joy that was set before Him...
and yes, some/many might use it so they can disregard their own responsibility... I think of the convictions the Spirit has put on my heart, that made sense with Who God is, but were totally counter intuitive from an intellectual perspective... ie giving/tithing whatever you want to call it, particularly in a struggling economy... cutting back on my work, so I could be more available for my family... made NO SENSE economically... by my budget, we should be broke and out on the street, with no assets left... that hasn't happened, although it has been tight for the last several years, but He has been training us in Prov. 3, spending a lot more wisely, and investing in His Kingdom, instead of our earthly kingdom.. it has been a difficult, but incredible journey of trusting Him and drawing closer to Him, we have seen His outpouring of blessing on our lives so many ways, most significantly with Proverbs 3 wealth aka wisdom (v13-18)! So those are my weak and imperfect words, but the amazing journey He gave us, is because of Him and Who He is... for His Glory which includes the supremacy of Christ! (Col 1:18)
so the question to me is... to what extent do we need a "restructure"... is it a simpler remodel (which is never simple or convenient) or a more comprehensive rebuild (a lot of work, and stepping on some sacred toes, etc.)? from what I read in the agenda from the task force (the 5 smooth stones example and 5 streams proposal), I don't think they've even hit a remodel level yet (except maybe with the Canadian/binational issues)... so do i dare say, what I read still seemed a lot like re-arranging the furniture? as Mike pointed out, the execution of it will be the telling indicator, so in most ways it's too early to tell...
Posted in: Christ’s Face in a Street Person
Praise the LORD! this link to this video of Matthew west's song, my own little world, by Christ Church of the Heartland in Texas is working again. It is such a powerful video and it was profound timing when I first watched it...
I encourage you to watch this... It's HIS time!!!
http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=FJ2F91NU&utm_source=GodTube%20Must-See%20Video&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=01/04/2012
Posted in: My Dream for the Christian Reformed Church
hmmm. lots of thoughts, here's a few... not sure if you left this out on purpose or why it's you didn't mention it, but one of the areas I feel like the LORD is opening up to minister to us is through the gift of prophecy, which will use both creation and the Word. Is the Spirit in us a "3rd book" . The Word is one, creation or confirmation via the natural is one, and the Spirit in us ministers to us as well, all 3 will point us to God (which the Spirit is of course) and help us live our lives through daily leading and guidance.
next thought... a few weeks ago, was wrestling with "programs", and a conclusion I came to, was that God is an infinitely creative God. We (humans) tend to jump on something that worked a few times and then turn it into a program and market it and say how it will "grow" your church or whatever. What i believe is God wants us to spend time listening to Him every time. He is so creative and longs for us to spend time with Him. Sometimes I wonder if using "cut and dried" programs, gives us an out of spending time in "listening" communion with Him, but then we miss out on what He's got planned for us because we are using and "old word" so to speak.
and the last thought I'll share is a confirmation of this insight...
boq... Imagine a church filled with people whose every moment is attuned to the presence and glory of God. This would be attractive. This would be meaningful. This would grow God’s church. eoq eoqee
that reminded me of a statement for Mary Geegh's little book "God Guides" p10... "How wonderful the world will be when everyone is guided by God's Holy Spirit..." not saying we'll see perfection here on earth, but i think it is a key for His Kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Blessings to you as you pursue the thoughts that the Spirit is stirring up =)..
Posted in: Worship Glue: Sticking the Pieces Together
hmmm... I think of it as a treasure hunt... letting the Holy Spirit give you guidance/ "clues" to find the treasure aka songs, scriptures, message, etc. He wants you to use to create a new masterpiece of worship, so that when it's all together, it's a beautiful "crown" to offer to Jesus, that also ministers at some level to everyone worshipping, no matter where they are at spiritually.
Posted in: Why Are Believers Not Declaring the Gospel?
Henry, you mention that we ignore the bodily resurrection of the Man Jesus - I would submit that we have missed spiritual intimacy with Him, which that concept seems to make us very uncomfortable, but my perception on that could be wrong. I would also submit we have to some degree ignored and quenched the power of the Holy Spirit, and been in contempt of some of His gifts, particularly those gifts we can't explain...
I struggle with when someone thinks someone else has spiritual "superiority", maybe they are sensing pride in some - but let's not throw out the baby with the bathwater on this. I would suggest these "dymanic experiences" are the prompting and work of the Holy Spirit in their lives, and not something to be disdained... everything we are, including our spiritual experiences are a gift of God, through His Holy Spirit, we can do nothing without Jesus... the concept of spiritual superiority shuts down every testimony of what God is doing in our lives, here and now... Yes, none of this has any meaning without salvation and we can not do it on our own, but as a loving and generous Father, He gives us fresh encounters with His goodness and love daily, and I hope we would want to share those testimonies, but when those hearing the testimonies receive them with skepticism or criticism or contempt, instead of joy and thankfulness, then we are quenching the Holy Spirit and His work in our lives... if we don't share those testimonies, we are quenching Him as well... It is all for His glory, and our good... I would hope the response to testimonies of what God is doing in our lives, would be met with joy and excitement, and be encouraging to others... instead of threatening.
I also think we need to recognize that there are different levels of maturity of believers, in our faith..
If we are not "experiencing" the Holy Spirit, then we need to look at our attitude toward the Holy Spirit.. are we quenching Him, through contempt of His gifts, through skepticism/criticisim, through unbelief that He still speaks to us in various ways (which includes making scripture living and active)?
having grown up in the crc, and still a part of it, I have noticed a significant resistance to how the Holy Spirit works via some giftings, for a variety of reasons, which is an entire discussion in itself...
unfortunately the new age stuff is the enemy's counterfeit of the working of the Holy Spirit, and so there will be things that look the same, but are oh so very different because of where it is coming from (Holy Spirit vs enemy spirit), with good fruit from the Holy Spirit and bad fruit from the enemy... this is where testing of the spirits (I John 4:1/1 Thess. 5:19-22), and discernment comes in...
When we love God with all our hearts, souls, strength and mind... that will overflow to loving our neighbors... and we will desire to be with Him via the Word, worship and prayer, to share about Him, to trust Him, and to obey Him... He will consume us, and we will be obsessed with Him and serving His Kingdom
Posted in: Classis at Prayer: Discerning God’s Will for the CRC
Bless your heart, Karl, for going out on this limb... yup, I think we/crc are being stretched into areas that are new for us... I believe this is a good thing... Josh. 3:4... then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before...
Posted in: Why Are Believers Not Declaring the Gospel?
there might be another distinction here... that between testimonies that God gives as encouragement for us personally, along with other believers, and what is evangelism for non-believers... our testimony is not limited to our conversion, but is added to on a regular basis as we walk in faith..
Posted in: Why Are Believers Not Declaring the Gospel?
Regarding spiritual intimacy, I think of Eph. 1:17-18, where Paul prays for the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that we may know God better - as one example of a scriptural call for intimacy... I believe almost every time the OT talks about "knowing" God, it is the same Hebrew word (yada) that He uses for marital intimacy... will our knowledge/experience be limited? of course, because God is an infinite God, and so we can only know a very small part of Him, a drop in an ocean, but even that drop that we can know is beyond amazing... Scripture uses the analogy of husband and wife, between Jesus and the Church (Eph. 5:32 - and song of songs for almost 2000 years, it's only in the last 100 years or so, that some no longer support this analogy in song of songs - which is an entire discussion)...
that thaand that the eyes of our hearts are enlightened, so we can know the hope of our inheritance... eyes of our hearts refers to a spiritual experience... this is our inner being, also referenced in Eph. 3:16, where the Spirit is working in us... our faith is Spirit and truth... it takes both working together... Paul says he does both when he prays in I Cor. 14:14-15... praying in tongues is a spiritual experience... the peace that passes understanding is a spiritual experience, becoming new creations in Christ is a spiritual experience (2 Cor 5:17)... having our hearts of stone become hearts of flesh (Ez 36:26), having His Spirit dwell in us, is a spiritual experience... I have testimonies of when He has melted my heart, when my heart was getting hard and cold, and aloof and proud, and in less than a moment He melted it, it was not emotionalism, because there wasn't enough time for that, but there were "triggers" that He used... was there dialogue with God during these times... oh yes... they were terrible and beautiful experiences at the same time, and I'm so glad He didn't let my heart stay hard...
King David talks about praising Him with all our "inmost being" ... so that our youth is renewed like the eagles - that sounds like a spiritual experience... that "deep rooted assurance" of faith mentioned somewhere earlier (i think it's referred to in HC Q&A 23), is a spiritual experience - it's that you know that you know in your inner being through a gift of the Spirit, even though there is no tangible "faith" to show other than through our actions...
those are just a few examples from scripture that I can think of off the top of my head...
Hebrews 6 talks about the elementary teachings, which includes faith in God (v1), and growing/maturing beyond that... I know this is a difficult passage with various interpretations, and maybe you interpret this differently, if so I would be interested in knowing how you view this...
as for "hiding" our works, interestingly Matt 5 tells us we are a light on a hill, and we are not to cover it up...let your light shine before men SO THAT others may see our good deeds and praise our Father in heaven... they are for HIS GLORY!!!
Posted in: One is the Loneliest Number
being "all alone" is such a common method of the enemy to bring discouragement and hopelessness... I'm reminded of Ms. Martha's pity party in Luke 10:40, "...alone" or "...by myself?" can relate at times and have indulged in similar pity parties... but as believers we can recognize it for what it is...
LORD, continue to connect those who are reaching out in loneliness, that feel isolated and like they are the only ones that are struggling with something, we pray for Divine connections that only You can orchestrate, and give you the glory and thanks, in the Name of Jesus.
Posted in: Why Are Believers Not Declaring the Gospel?
re-reading your posts, Henry, I have another question for you... how did you know you were called to be a pastor (maybe I'm wrong about you being a pastor, but that's what i understand from you "entering the ministry" in your 20's)? You say God has never told you what call to take, or what car to buy... so then when pastors are "called"... what do they mean?
Posted in: An Open and Shut Case
FYI... that quote is not from Augustine, although that is a common misconception...
see link...
http://theflamingheretic.wordpress.com/2011/03/25/in-essentials-unity/
Posted in: Why Are Believers Not Declaring the Gospel?
Well Henry, I agree that as the Church, we need to focus and proclaim more of Jesus and His sacrifice - that's why I love the Moravians and Count Zinzendorf... yesterday's devotional by Oswald Chambers in his My Utmost for His Highest also confirmed what you have shared...
but I think there is a place for personal testimonies as well,even in their weak, imperfectness, to encourage fellow believers... recognizing that each testimony is a gift as well, and so giving God the glory... we can have contempt for our part in it, but I think we have to be careful about being contemptuous of what God via the Holy Spirit is doing when He gives us Divine insight/direction/leading/guiding as Scripture tells us He does and will..
in another post you mentioned something about how do we know if it's God or self, or the enemy, and you gave an example of a father killing his children... a simple test of lining it up with scripture would discern that is not God, He is life, He tells us to choose life, He commands us not to kill... but some might argue that God allowed His Son to be killed and so indirectly He killed Jesus, because He could have prevented it... but we know Jesus willingly went to the cross for the joy that was set before Him...
and yes, some/many might use it so they can disregard their own responsibility... I think of the convictions the Spirit has put on my heart, that made sense with Who God is, but were totally counter intuitive from an intellectual perspective... ie giving/tithing whatever you want to call it, particularly in a struggling economy... cutting back on my work, so I could be more available for my family... made NO SENSE economically... by my budget, we should be broke and out on the street, with no assets left... that hasn't happened, although it has been tight for the last several years, but He has been training us in Prov. 3, spending a lot more wisely, and investing in His Kingdom, instead of our earthly kingdom.. it has been a difficult, but incredible journey of trusting Him and drawing closer to Him, we have seen His outpouring of blessing on our lives so many ways, most significantly with Proverbs 3 wealth aka wisdom (v13-18)! So those are my weak and imperfect words, but the amazing journey He gave us, is because of Him and Who He is... for His Glory which includes the supremacy of Christ! (Col 1:18)
Posted in: Deck Chairs?
so the question to me is... to what extent do we need a "restructure"... is it a simpler remodel (which is never simple or convenient) or a more comprehensive rebuild (a lot of work, and stepping on some sacred toes, etc.)? from what I read in the agenda from the task force (the 5 smooth stones example and 5 streams proposal), I don't think they've even hit a remodel level yet (except maybe with the Canadian/binational issues)... so do i dare say, what I read still seemed a lot like re-arranging the furniture? as Mike pointed out, the execution of it will be the telling indicator, so in most ways it's too early to tell...