Only Free People Can Free Others

"And the word of the Lord came to me: 'Son of man, when a land sins against me by acting faithlessly, and I stretch out my hand against it and break its supply of bread and send famine upon it, and cut off from it man and beast, even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver but their own lives by their righteousness, declares the Lord God.' " (Ezekiel 14:12-14 / ESV)

Under the Old Covenant, when a nation embraced faithless living, God responded by placing a famine on the land in an effort to get the people's attention.  His intention was that this would result in genuine repentance and restoration of the national vision.  Many could say we are in a similar state today in America.  For reasons too numerous, and equally unproductive to list, we find ourselves as believers often at philosophical and moral odds with our countrymen.  While we endeavor to sustain the biblical mandate upon which this nation was founded, during periods of discouragement we feel as though we are in an ever-increasing minority.  

Regardless of how things may feel or appear, the glory of this passage is that, like Noah, Daniel, and Job, believers can still live victorious and prosperous lives, even in the midst of a nation operating outside God's order.  This in no way diminishes our responsibility to change the land and intercede on its behalf.  But it does give us His assured hope that as we labor, our success is unaffected by the poor choices of our land.  So stop stressing about the economy, your 401k, and the chaos you see around you.  Stand secure in the knowledge that God will see His people through, prospering all the way.  Instead, expend your energy on prayer and intercession, decreeing that the nations would receive the revelation which God, in His grace, saw fit to reveal to you.  

Remember, the beauty of the Gospel is this:  Because we have been freed, we are free to free others.

Mind Your Own Business! - How Second-Hand Offenses Steal Joy and Divide Friendships

"Whoever meddles in a quarrel not his own is like one who takes a passing dog by the ears." (Proverbs 26:17 ESV)

We've all been there.  Two friends or family members we care for a great deal become involved in a dispute over some seemingly ridiculous, inconsequential thing and we feel pressured to enter the fray and 'pick a side'.  But with picking a side comes the all consuming need to carry the perceived offense as one's own and produces a variety of joy-stealing emotional, psychological, and spiritual challenges.  This is generally referred to as a second-hand offense.  It usually begins by giving ear to the frustrations of others, which psychobabble has termed, 'venting'.  As we listen to the person 'vent', we gradually become engaged in a form of co-dependency in which we identify with the offense and make it ours.  Now all of a sudden, we're as mad and upset as the person we have given ear to.  And thus a second-hand offense is born. 

Proverbs 26:17 gives us clear direction for when disputes not our own occur around us: STAY OUT OF IT AND MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!  

He Doesn't Sleep

"I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber." (Psalm 121:1-3 ESV)

Vulnerability is an inevitable part of life's journey. No matter how well trained, educated, or skilled, you will eventually face a circumstance which you feel totally unequipped to face.  It's in those universal moments that we must remember that we are not our own keeper; that we have a Father who loves us and keeps watch over us 24/7.  Unlike natural fathers who must eventually rest their eyes and lower their guard, the Lord's protective eye never wanes. So when challenges come, remember that God is watching: not to judge you, but to cover you. 

Life In The Fast Lane

"Hear, my son, and accept my words, that the years of your life may be many. I have taught you the way of wisdom; I have led you in the paths of uprightness.  When you walk, your step will not be hampered, and if you run, you will not stumble.  Keep hold of instruction; do not let go; guard her, for she is your life. Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of the evil. Avoid it; do not go on it; turn away from it and pass on." (Proverbs 4:10-15 ESV)

When God's wisdom is our guide, we are promised that we will be upheld.  As we stay in the path of the righteous, and away from the path of the wicked, our footing will be sure regardless of our speed.

For many, we creep along at such a slow pace, fearful that we will loose our balance if we are not oh so very careful.  True to His Word, He upholds us and keeps us from falling.  But how long did it take us to get to our destination?  How much time was wasted in the process?  In this season, God is looking for people who will run toward the prize of the high calling, not meandor at a leisurely pace as if lives were not hanging in the balance.  If we're going to get there regardless of speed, let's go fast!

Everything Begins with Relationship

Counseling, like a lot of disciplines, is overburdened by format, methodology, and techniques.  At nearly any conference or related gathering of clinicians, the topic invariably comes up, "so what school of thought do you belong to".  Trained as an Adlerian who specializes in children and adolescents, I somehow always seem to gravitate toward the other Adlerians who specialize in children and adolescents.  After all, if we don't make fun of the Gestaltists and Jungians, who will?  But in the midst of all the myriad of therapeutic methods and schools of thought, I was recently reminded that NOTHING matters more than relationship.  

Love covers a multitude of sins.  And more than anything else, relationship is about love.  Its about respecting and caring enough about a person that you want to get to know them on their turf before you put on your glasses of derision, pointing out their every flaw, problem, and cognitive distortion.  Its only when we care enough to get to know people that they'll lower their guard and let us help them.  All the methodology in the world never directly helped anyone.  Rather, like the Apostle Paul, we must become all things to all people that we might save some.

"For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings." (1 Corinthians 9:19-23 ESV)