Today, February 29, 2012 is a leap day. In fact, this entire year is referred to as a "Leap Year." The leap year is an attempt to account for the natural changes in the rhythm of time, which we attempt to measure by a 365-day calendar.
The four-year leap cycle comes about as close as we can get to synchronizing our hourly clocks with our annual calendars, all of which are based upon a "chronos" or chronological method of calculating time.
God, however, operates on "kairos" time, which is a supernatural measure that deals with the "is-ness"of time. God's kairos time is the measure that helps us recognize when it "is time" to do something, or when someone's or something's time "is up" or when God makes it clear that His time "is time."
"To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under the Heaven" (Ecclesiastes 3:1)
If we learn to live in God's time, we won't have to wait every four years for a major shift to keep us on point. We can take a leap of faith every day the opportunity presents itself.
The story of the lame man in Acts Chapter 3 is a vivid example of this. When the disciples told the man to rise up and walk and even extended a helping hand to him, he didn't check his calendar or ask them to wait. He didn't question or challenge them. He didn't show them his weak legs and body. He didn't cite the doctor's report which declared him to be immobile.
Instead, this man who had been lame from his birth "....leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God."
Maybe the only thing some of us need to do to get our healing or a blessing that we have been waiting around for is to take a literal and figurative leap of faith. We have to get into the "is-ness" of God's timing and move when His Spirit says move.
The lame man only started out with enough faith to believe that the disciples might give him a little pocket change. He ended up excercising enough faith to reach out and grab hold to his blessing when it was at hand.
I believe God loves it when we grow from little faith into big faith. In fact, Jesus chastised the disciples for having little faith when they were on the boat with Him during a storm. We are also told in Hebrews 11:6 that "without faith, it is impossible to please God, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him."
When we go beyond begging God for tokens of affection to believing God for mighty miracles we show how much we truly trust Him. So, what are you waiting on? Use this special leap day as an incentive to take a leap of faith!
BNcouraged!
Rev. Karen
A weekly posting of encouraging and challenging thoughts about life from Rev. Karen W. Curry, a pastor's wife and mother of two who is also --in her "spare time"-- a dynamic preacher, teacher, motivational speaker, facilitator, writer, reviewer, poet, MC, liturgical dance/drama consultant and storyteller. Contact Rev. Karen at BNcouraged247@msn.com to speak at your next service or retreat.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Subtracting What Sin Tries to A-D-D
It seems more children than ever are being diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). Although many adults grew up before there was an official name for this condition, many of us can recall having difficulty paying attention or being easily distracted as a child. Some of us are still easily distracted.
One of the tricks the enemy specializes in is a timely distraction. Just when things seem to be going fine, or right when we finally make up our minds to take a stand or make a change, along comes a distraction to take our eyes off of the prize.
If you have ever seen the movie, The Matrix, you may recall the scene where Keanu Reeves' character experiences the distraction of a woman in red walking toward him while everyone else around her is wearing gray. He was able to move along with the flow of the crowd until a bright red sensuous distraction came into view. Of course, it turns out that the "woman" in red was not even a woman at all, but a mirage serving as a cover for an assassin.
We experience scenes like this on a regular basis. But God tells us in Hebrews 12:1-2, "...since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumberance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith...."
Some translations use the word, "distracts" in place of the word "entangles." Both give the connotation of being hindered from moving forward--either because something has turned and twisted itself around us or we have turned and twisted our heads away from what we should be focused on.
Either way, the way to get back on track is to "run with endurance...fixing our eyes on Jesus...." We may not be able to help the fact that distractions will come our way. But, just because they are in our eyesight doesn't mean we have to focus or fix our eyes on the distractions. We can acknowledge that they exist and then run on past them with our gaze fixed intently on Jesus, "the author and perfector of our faith...."
When we take time to completely turn our focus toward our distractions or get cozy enough with them to ask a few questions to satisfy our curiosity, we become co-conspirators in our own derailment. Just ask Peter. When he turned his eyes from Jesus to examine the height, strength and fury of the waves all around him, he began to sink. It wasn't the waves that sank him, it was his spiritual ADD, for as soon as he returned to focusing on Jesus, he was able to walk on the water without sinking.
Sure, distractions can be hard to miss and hard to resist, but as Hebrews 12:4 reminds us, most of us "..have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in [our] striving agains sin...."
Remember, scripture says that the sin "easily entangles (distracts) us..." Let's not continue to make it so easy for us to be deterred from the race that God has set before us. Let's spend enough time listening to and for God to know when something sounds like it's a test from Him or whether it is a actually a tempting distraction. Remember, God tests, but our enemy tempts. Tests make us stronger, temptations make us weaker.
So, the next time we are distracted by something that looks, feels, sounds, smells or tastes tempting, let's check with God to see if that person, place, or thing is listed in His version of our life story. After all He is the true author, and therefore has the only "authorized" version of our life stories. If the things that are distracting us don't honestly add up to the character of God, or if what we are about to add will negatively subtract from what God has planned for us, we must be wise enough to subtract what sin has tried to ADD.
BNcouraged!
Rev. Karen
One of the tricks the enemy specializes in is a timely distraction. Just when things seem to be going fine, or right when we finally make up our minds to take a stand or make a change, along comes a distraction to take our eyes off of the prize.
If you have ever seen the movie, The Matrix, you may recall the scene where Keanu Reeves' character experiences the distraction of a woman in red walking toward him while everyone else around her is wearing gray. He was able to move along with the flow of the crowd until a bright red sensuous distraction came into view. Of course, it turns out that the "woman" in red was not even a woman at all, but a mirage serving as a cover for an assassin.
We experience scenes like this on a regular basis. But God tells us in Hebrews 12:1-2, "...since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumberance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith...."
Some translations use the word, "distracts" in place of the word "entangles." Both give the connotation of being hindered from moving forward--either because something has turned and twisted itself around us or we have turned and twisted our heads away from what we should be focused on.
Either way, the way to get back on track is to "run with endurance...fixing our eyes on Jesus...." We may not be able to help the fact that distractions will come our way. But, just because they are in our eyesight doesn't mean we have to focus or fix our eyes on the distractions. We can acknowledge that they exist and then run on past them with our gaze fixed intently on Jesus, "the author and perfector of our faith...."
When we take time to completely turn our focus toward our distractions or get cozy enough with them to ask a few questions to satisfy our curiosity, we become co-conspirators in our own derailment. Just ask Peter. When he turned his eyes from Jesus to examine the height, strength and fury of the waves all around him, he began to sink. It wasn't the waves that sank him, it was his spiritual ADD, for as soon as he returned to focusing on Jesus, he was able to walk on the water without sinking.
Sure, distractions can be hard to miss and hard to resist, but as Hebrews 12:4 reminds us, most of us "..have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in [our] striving agains sin...."
Remember, scripture says that the sin "easily entangles (distracts) us..." Let's not continue to make it so easy for us to be deterred from the race that God has set before us. Let's spend enough time listening to and for God to know when something sounds like it's a test from Him or whether it is a actually a tempting distraction. Remember, God tests, but our enemy tempts. Tests make us stronger, temptations make us weaker.
So, the next time we are distracted by something that looks, feels, sounds, smells or tastes tempting, let's check with God to see if that person, place, or thing is listed in His version of our life story. After all He is the true author, and therefore has the only "authorized" version of our life stories. If the things that are distracting us don't honestly add up to the character of God, or if what we are about to add will negatively subtract from what God has planned for us, we must be wise enough to subtract what sin has tried to ADD.
BNcouraged!
Rev. Karen
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Return to Sender
My heart aches over the tragic death of Whitney Houston. The aching stems, not from a naive perspective on life and death, for I know full well that death is but a doorway to an even greater existence.
The heartache that I am experiencing stems from the sobering reminder that there are pitfalls in this life that some of us will simply never climb out of on this side of glory -- never. As an encourager and optimist, "never" is a really hard word for me to accept.
As Christians, we often desire see the evidence or manifestation of God's deliverance of our loved ones in this life. But, time and time again we see that, in some instances, full relief and release may only come once an individual is freed from their earthly body.
Some of us, no matter how much time we are given to enjoy the goodness of the Lord in this life will find ourselves "like a dog returning to its vomit," (Proverbs 26:11) habitually and helplessly returning to people, places and things that are toxic. We end up learning the hard way that "just one time" or "just one more time" can prove to be one time too many.
We don't yet have all the details concerning Whitney's death, but we do know that she, a recovering addict, had been drinking on the night of her death. With a body ravaged from drug abuse, it's hard not to suspect that, "one more glass" of this drink or "one more dose" of that medication may have added up to "one last" of everything for Whitney. We never know just how close we really are to the edge of the end until we end up falling over it.
Many in the younger generation are not at all familiar with Whitney Houston. But, somewhere out there is a little singer who will be called, "the next Whitney Houston." With everything we've got, let's help her steer clear of the false promises of drugs and alcohol.
I'm not condemning anyone, but I am saying that just because some folks tried and tasted a little bit of this and a little of that during their youth and made it out alright doesn't mean that everyone will do the same. The countless celebrity deaths and the deaths of our own loved ones prove that, for far too many, drugs and alcohol are pieces in a game of Russian roulette in which someone is guaranteed to bite the bullet.
Our children need to know that it IS okay to go through life without ever having tried drugs or getting drunk. These don't have to be the rights of passage that some have allowed them to become.
God has generously given each of us the gift of life. But if we, despite our best and most earnest intentions, continue to malfunction, perhaps we are recalled and returned to our sender. For, only God--the sender--can take broken and malfunctioning pieces and salvage them into something whole again.
Jesus Christ came to salvage us and make a way for us to be restored to our maker. My prayer and belief is that Whitney gave her life to Christ during her time in church and that the divine, melodic voice that God placed within her now resonates with supernatural clarity now that it-- and she -- have been Returned to Sender.
Please pray for Whitney's family, friends and fans, and...
BNcouraged!
Rev. Karen
The heartache that I am experiencing stems from the sobering reminder that there are pitfalls in this life that some of us will simply never climb out of on this side of glory -- never. As an encourager and optimist, "never" is a really hard word for me to accept.
As Christians, we often desire see the evidence or manifestation of God's deliverance of our loved ones in this life. But, time and time again we see that, in some instances, full relief and release may only come once an individual is freed from their earthly body.
Some of us, no matter how much time we are given to enjoy the goodness of the Lord in this life will find ourselves "like a dog returning to its vomit," (Proverbs 26:11) habitually and helplessly returning to people, places and things that are toxic. We end up learning the hard way that "just one time" or "just one more time" can prove to be one time too many.
We don't yet have all the details concerning Whitney's death, but we do know that she, a recovering addict, had been drinking on the night of her death. With a body ravaged from drug abuse, it's hard not to suspect that, "one more glass" of this drink or "one more dose" of that medication may have added up to "one last" of everything for Whitney. We never know just how close we really are to the edge of the end until we end up falling over it.
Many in the younger generation are not at all familiar with Whitney Houston. But, somewhere out there is a little singer who will be called, "the next Whitney Houston." With everything we've got, let's help her steer clear of the false promises of drugs and alcohol.
I'm not condemning anyone, but I am saying that just because some folks tried and tasted a little bit of this and a little of that during their youth and made it out alright doesn't mean that everyone will do the same. The countless celebrity deaths and the deaths of our own loved ones prove that, for far too many, drugs and alcohol are pieces in a game of Russian roulette in which someone is guaranteed to bite the bullet.
Our children need to know that it IS okay to go through life without ever having tried drugs or getting drunk. These don't have to be the rights of passage that some have allowed them to become.
God has generously given each of us the gift of life. But if we, despite our best and most earnest intentions, continue to malfunction, perhaps we are recalled and returned to our sender. For, only God--the sender--can take broken and malfunctioning pieces and salvage them into something whole again.
Jesus Christ came to salvage us and make a way for us to be restored to our maker. My prayer and belief is that Whitney gave her life to Christ during her time in church and that the divine, melodic voice that God placed within her now resonates with supernatural clarity now that it-- and she -- have been Returned to Sender.
Please pray for Whitney's family, friends and fans, and...
BNcouraged!
Rev. Karen
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Unavoidably Available
Moses will be forever known as a faithful servant and courageous messenger of God. But, he didn't start out that way. In fact, he did all he could to avoid being God's vessel because he didn't feel qualified.
Sounds a lot like some of us, doesn't it? Many of us in leadership did not necessarily seek the mantle, but it found us anyway. Furthermore, not only did we not seek out leadership, in some instances we actively avoided it with all sorts of "valid" excuses.
Moses exclaimed in Exodus 3:11, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharoah, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?" He experienced the same doubt and low self-esteem that has kept many of us from stepping up to what God has called us to.
After God assured Moses that He would be with him, Moses then shifted his excuse from himself to the people, worrying "What if they will not believe me, or listen to I say? For they may say, 'The Lord has not appeared to you.'" (Ex. 4:1)
God responded by demonstrating a variety of signs that would confirm for the people that the presence and power of God were at work in Moses and "... if they will not believe you or heed the witness of the first sign, they may believe the witness of the last sign." (Ex. 4:8)
Yet, even after God answered Moses' concerns and performed miraculous signs not only in front of him, but through Moses' very own hands, Moses still tried to avoid the call of God.
In a last ditch effort to avoid captaining the "Leader Ship," Moses pleaded with God, "Please, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since Thou hast spoken to Thy servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue."
Oblivious to the fact that his protests were getting him nowhere, Moses foolishly continued begging, "Please, Lord, now send the message by whomever Thou wilt." He was hoping that the "whomever" would be anyone else but him.
Now, it seemed to me that God had already chosen whom He wanted the message sent through, and His choice was an insecure, doubting dodger with a criminal past and a speech impediment--named Moses!
As we reflect on Moses' story, it closely mirrors many of our own stories. Some of us are still foolishly trying to avoid the hand and the call of God. It's true, many of us are not "qualified" for any of the things we have been called to do. But that's just fine because God uses the foolish things to confound the wise. When incredible, expert-level things come from inexperienced, "unqualified" amateurs, God gets the glory because everyone knows that something supernatural must have occured!
Those of us who serve the Lord may wish our response to God's call would have been a noble, "Here am I Lord, send me!" But that's just not the case for many of us who came whining, kicking and screaming all the way.
If you're still doing any of those things now in a feeble attempt to get God to give up on you, you'd probably better give it up, instead. If you know what the rest of us know, you are Unavoidably Available--so get over it and get going!
BNcouraged!
Rev. Karen
Sounds a lot like some of us, doesn't it? Many of us in leadership did not necessarily seek the mantle, but it found us anyway. Furthermore, not only did we not seek out leadership, in some instances we actively avoided it with all sorts of "valid" excuses.
Moses exclaimed in Exodus 3:11, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharoah, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?" He experienced the same doubt and low self-esteem that has kept many of us from stepping up to what God has called us to.
After God assured Moses that He would be with him, Moses then shifted his excuse from himself to the people, worrying "What if they will not believe me, or listen to I say? For they may say, 'The Lord has not appeared to you.'" (Ex. 4:1)
God responded by demonstrating a variety of signs that would confirm for the people that the presence and power of God were at work in Moses and "... if they will not believe you or heed the witness of the first sign, they may believe the witness of the last sign." (Ex. 4:8)
Yet, even after God answered Moses' concerns and performed miraculous signs not only in front of him, but through Moses' very own hands, Moses still tried to avoid the call of God.
In a last ditch effort to avoid captaining the "Leader Ship," Moses pleaded with God, "Please, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since Thou hast spoken to Thy servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue."
Oblivious to the fact that his protests were getting him nowhere, Moses foolishly continued begging, "Please, Lord, now send the message by whomever Thou wilt." He was hoping that the "whomever" would be anyone else but him.
Now, it seemed to me that God had already chosen whom He wanted the message sent through, and His choice was an insecure, doubting dodger with a criminal past and a speech impediment--named Moses!
As we reflect on Moses' story, it closely mirrors many of our own stories. Some of us are still foolishly trying to avoid the hand and the call of God. It's true, many of us are not "qualified" for any of the things we have been called to do. But that's just fine because God uses the foolish things to confound the wise. When incredible, expert-level things come from inexperienced, "unqualified" amateurs, God gets the glory because everyone knows that something supernatural must have occured!
Those of us who serve the Lord may wish our response to God's call would have been a noble, "Here am I Lord, send me!" But that's just not the case for many of us who came whining, kicking and screaming all the way.
If you're still doing any of those things now in a feeble attempt to get God to give up on you, you'd probably better give it up, instead. If you know what the rest of us know, you are Unavoidably Available--so get over it and get going!
BNcouraged!
Rev. Karen
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
In the Meantime...
Whenever the phrase, "in the meantime," is used it indicates that there is some span of time that will separate our future destination from our present situation.
It also carries an implication of occupation. That is, we are to occupy or keep ourselves productive while we wait. For example, at a doctor's office, we might be told that the doctor will be with us shortly and "in the meantime" we can fill out a clipboard full of paperwork.
I'm not sure where the name, "meantime" came from, but I must admit that the name spells out the truth, the whole truth, and nothin' but the truth. The "meantime" can certainly be a mean time as we undergo growing pains and various challenging lessons on our way to our divine destinations.
Sometimes the meantime can get so mean that we want to throw our hands in the air and wave them like we just don't care. This sense of frustration can apply to our individual relationships, as well as our collective relationships. The prelude to our Presidential election, for instance, has been a seriously mean meantime for the collective body that is the United States of America.
Civility, honesty, patience and faith in God appear to all have been tossed into the wind with regard to this year's Presidential election. The prophet Isaiah foretold that "the government shall be upon His shoulders" yet some of us act as if the entire election and future of our country rests upon our shoulders or upon the shoulders of whomever resides at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC.
Of course the power of each individual vote is critical, and the power wielded by the President of the United States is extremely critical. But, have we forgotten who is really in charge? Some of us need to stop running our mouths and just make sure we run to the polls after we have run to God seeking His divine guidance regarding whom He has chosen or will allow to govern us in the political realm.
Lying, swearing, shouting, stereotyping, finger-waving and cheering on those who carry on in such manners is simply out of order, especially for those of us who proclaim to be Christians.
Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. Galatians 5:26
We are blessed to live in a democratic society in which we are free to express our opinions, but even more importantly we are blessed to be free to act on those opinions when we step into the voting booth.
We will all have an opportunity to make our vote count at election time. So,
In the Meantime...
Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you. Hebrews 13:17
Even if we don't like the personality or policies of those who end up in office, we don't have to become fearful or ferocious. While we wait on our change to come or our opportunity to create the change, we must simply remember that
In the Meantime...
He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." So we may boldly say: "The LORD [is] my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?" Hebrews 13: 15a-16.
Ultimately, all of the politics and prognosticating will pale in comparison to the prize that patiently lies beyond the pearly gates, where the wicked will cease from troubling and the weary will be at rest.
We just might find it in our hearts to be a little bit calmer, a little less defensive, and a lot more peaceful if we would remember that our real home is over in glory and this life is just a temporary place for us to occupy, In the Meantime....
BNcouraged!
Rev. Karen
It also carries an implication of occupation. That is, we are to occupy or keep ourselves productive while we wait. For example, at a doctor's office, we might be told that the doctor will be with us shortly and "in the meantime" we can fill out a clipboard full of paperwork.
I'm not sure where the name, "meantime" came from, but I must admit that the name spells out the truth, the whole truth, and nothin' but the truth. The "meantime" can certainly be a mean time as we undergo growing pains and various challenging lessons on our way to our divine destinations.
Sometimes the meantime can get so mean that we want to throw our hands in the air and wave them like we just don't care. This sense of frustration can apply to our individual relationships, as well as our collective relationships. The prelude to our Presidential election, for instance, has been a seriously mean meantime for the collective body that is the United States of America.
Civility, honesty, patience and faith in God appear to all have been tossed into the wind with regard to this year's Presidential election. The prophet Isaiah foretold that "the government shall be upon His shoulders" yet some of us act as if the entire election and future of our country rests upon our shoulders or upon the shoulders of whomever resides at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC.
Of course the power of each individual vote is critical, and the power wielded by the President of the United States is extremely critical. But, have we forgotten who is really in charge? Some of us need to stop running our mouths and just make sure we run to the polls after we have run to God seeking His divine guidance regarding whom He has chosen or will allow to govern us in the political realm.
Lying, swearing, shouting, stereotyping, finger-waving and cheering on those who carry on in such manners is simply out of order, especially for those of us who proclaim to be Christians.
Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. Galatians 5:26
We are blessed to live in a democratic society in which we are free to express our opinions, but even more importantly we are blessed to be free to act on those opinions when we step into the voting booth.
We will all have an opportunity to make our vote count at election time. So,
In the Meantime...
Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you. Hebrews 13:17
Even if we don't like the personality or policies of those who end up in office, we don't have to become fearful or ferocious. While we wait on our change to come or our opportunity to create the change, we must simply remember that
In the Meantime...
He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." So we may boldly say: "The LORD [is] my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?" Hebrews 13: 15a-16.
Ultimately, all of the politics and prognosticating will pale in comparison to the prize that patiently lies beyond the pearly gates, where the wicked will cease from troubling and the weary will be at rest.
We just might find it in our hearts to be a little bit calmer, a little less defensive, and a lot more peaceful if we would remember that our real home is over in glory and this life is just a temporary place for us to occupy, In the Meantime....
BNcouraged!
Rev. Karen
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