Saint Francis prayer

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

to be consoled as to console;

to be understood as to understand;

to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen

Tuning In to God

When we set out to hear God's voice, we do not listen as though it will come from somewhere above us or in the room around us. It comes to us from within, from the heart, the dwelling place of God. Now, most of us haven't been trained in this, and it's going to take a little practice "tuning in" to all that's going on in there. And there's a lot going on in there, by the way. Many things are trying to play upon the beautiful instrument of the heart. Advertisers are constantly trying to pull on your heartstrings. The devil is a master at manipulating the heart. So are many people-though they would never admit that is what they are doing. How will you know what is compelling you? "Who can map out the various forces at play in one soul?" asked Augustine, a man who was the first to write out the story of listening to his heart. "Man is a great depth, O Lord . . . but the hairs of his head are easier by far to count than . . . the movements of his heart."

Take time this season to "tune out" the noise and "tune in" to God.

From www.RansomedHeart.com

A Prayer of Abandonment

Are you able to pray this prayer?

Father,
I abandon myself into your hands;
do with me what you will.
Whatever you may do, I thank you;
I am ready for all, I accept all.

Let only your will be done in me,
and in all your creatures—
I wish no more than this, O Lord.
Into your hands I commend my soul:
I offer it to you with all the love of my heart,
for I love you, Lord, and so need
to give myself, to surrender myself into your hands
without reserve and with boundless confidence,
for you are my Father. Amen. - Charles de Foucauld

For a great reading on allowing God to reorder your world, check this out: http://www.transformingcenter.org/2011/12/advent-4-mary-and-the-prayer-of-indifference/

Advent Credo - What is True

It is not true that creation and the human family are doomed to destruction and loss—
This is true: For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, That whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.

It is not true that we must accept inhumanity and discrimination, hunger and poverty, death and destruction—
This is true: I have come that they may have life, and that abundantly.

It is not true that violence and hatred should have the last word, and that war and destruction rule forever—
This is true: For unto us a child is born, and unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, And his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, the Everlasting, the Prince of Peace.

It is not true that we are simply victims of the powers of evil who seek to rule the world—
This is true: To me is given authority in heaven and on earth, And lo, I am with you, even unto the end of the world.

It is not true that we have to wait for those who are specially gifted, who are the prophets of the church, before we can be peacemakers.
This is true: I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, And your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your young shall see visions, and your old shall have dreams.

It is not true that our hopes for liberation of humankind, of justice, of human dignity, of peace
are not meant for this earth and for this history—
This is true: The hour comes, and it is now, that true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth.

So let us enter Advent in hope, even hope against hope. Let us see visions of love and peace and justice. Let us affirm with humility, with joy, with faith, with courage: Jesus Christ—the Life of the world.


This poem is often attributed to Daniel Berrigan, S.J., Testimony: The Word Made Fresh, (Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books, 2004), p. 211

Preparing for the Coming of Christ

This week’s Advent readings are about sin– of all things!– and confession of sin as the necessary preparation for the coming of Christ

Mark 1:2-5: “See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’”John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from [all over] were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

Sin is not a popular topic these days. And yet, the Advent message is clear: there are obstacles in our lives and in our communities that hinder Christ’s coming—rough spots that need to be smoothed over with understanding, crooked places that need to be straightened out with truth-telling, molehills that have become mountains among us, valleys of misunderstanding and bad behavior that need to be raised up, acknowledged and confessed.

May God give us the grace to name these obstacles as the sins they are. May Christ give us the courage to make our confession—to him and to each other—so we can find comfort and healing. And may the Spirit enable us to grow in love so that the glory of the Lord can be revealed among us.

(excerpt from Ruth Haley Barton's eReflections)

The "Wildness" of God

Since my sabbatical, I think I've gotten better at not being such a control freak. I have been diligently trying to trust God and allow Him to lead, provide, direct, guide...all of that stuff. But I still haven't mastered it - and I'm not alone. Here is an excerpt I read this morning from the Daily Office (quoted from Richard Rohr):

"Believe it or not, we are threatened by such a free God because it takes away all of our ability to control or engineer the process. It leaves us powerless, and changes the language from any language of performance or achievement to that of surrender, trust and vulnerability...that is the so-called "wildness" of God. We cannot control God by any means whatsoever, not even by our good behavior, which tends to be our natural instinct...That utter and absolute freedom of God is fortunately used totally in our favor, even though we are still afraid of it...It is called providence, forgiveness, free election or mercy...But to us, it feels like wildness - precisely because we cannot control it, manipulate it, direct it, earn it or lose it. Anyone into controlling God by his or her actions will feel very useless, impotent and ineffective."

We have to believe that by surrendering and trusting God, it is totally in our favor. God desires good things for us. He can be trusted. He has proven Himself to be faithful. Lord, forgive us for times we doubt and want to take control of the reins again.

Seeing Ourselves in the Story

I have about 6 books I am reading at the same time...well, not exactly at the same time but you know what I mean. One of those is called, Velvet Elvis written by Rob Bell. As you may know, I started a new series this past Sunday on Baptism and why it is important to our faith. We asked a few questions such as "What is God like? What is sin and where does it come from?" We looked at the creation story and the fall of Adam and Eve because they chose poorly and ate from the wrong tree.

We know the story well, sometimes too well - meaning that we forget to apply it to ourselves; that we are not that much different from Adam and Eve. Here is what Rob Bell says: "Is the greatest truth about Adam and Eve that it happened or that it happens? This story is true for us because it is our story. We have all taken the fruit. We have all crossed boundaries. We have all made decisions to do things our way and then looked back and said to ourselves, What was I thinking? The fruit looked so good to Adam and Eve for those brief moments, but the consequences were with them for the rest of their lives. Their story is our story. We see ourselves in them. The story is true for us because it happened and because it happens. It is an accurate description of how life is."

I hope that we can begin to see ourselves as we listen again to the story of the Bible. It will be a fast series (only 4 weeks), but maybe God is preparing our hearts to enter more fully into the story since I will preach a year-long series on the Bible starting January 1, 2012.

A Simple but Powerful Prayer

I received a call from a dear pastor-friend yesterday that his wife has cancer...and wouldn't you know it - it's a rare kind that the doctors haven't seen before. As you might imagine, they are experiencing a range of emotions and questions. One thing my friend said was, "You know it's weird because we don't really have a pastor to walk with us and listen to us." That's true, although their congregation has been through this before, so some members will be able to relate.

I know my friend fairly well and he's like me - a fixer, a problem solver. I know he's wrestling with what all the options might be to to remedy this. But really, it's out of his hands. No matter if it's his wife or someone else, he is incapable of fixing or solving this. Now, that may sound hopeless, but it's not meant to. In fact, it's a statement of maturity and faith because God wants us to trust Him and surrender everything to Him. God wants to do a transforming work within us and the only way that can happen is if we allow Him.

I've said that Tammy and I pray every night, "Dear God, the Church is in your hands. I'm going to bed. Amen". This prayer is transforming because it brings about the peace of God that surpasses understanding. You can substitute "the Church" for anything that might feel like a burden or that you feel the need to control. Try it:

"Dear God, my job, my relationship with my spouse, my burden to want to control my kids, my grief over losing a loved one, my marriage, and yes, my spouse's cancer is in your hands. I'm going about my day (or I'm going to bed). Amen." You can pray this at the beginning and end of each day.

I Can See Clearly, but...

I've been a little cranky this week. Part of the problem is that I finally graduated to another level of "maturity". I got bifocals! I've been a grumpy old man all week. These things take some getting use to. I have to keep turning my head if I want to see clearly. I like the fact that I can now read again without having to bury my face in the text, but I am finding out that I can't just take these new lenses for granted. I have to actively focus and pay attention to what I'm looking at if I want to see clearly.

And that's the other part of my crankiness this week. I have been tempted to lose focus on doing the spiritual disciplines. Because I was in Ohio last weekend, I got out of my daily rhythm and it's showing. For me, spending time in daily silence and solitude help me to see things more clearly - but I have to focus. I have to be intentional. When I'm not, it's frustrating. I get upset easier - kinda like wearing these new bifocals. But if I stick with it long enough, I will be able to see clearly again. I will be able to see things from God's perspective.

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart; Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art. Thou my best thought, by day or by night, Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light

Restoration of the Soul

From the Psalms, we read alot about our soul, but the most famous and well-known one is:

Psalm 23:1-3
¹ The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. ² He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; ³ He restores my soul...

I like to watch the TV show, "American Restoration". Owner, Rick Dale is an expert restorer of classic objects and artifacts. Rick has built his career on an unbridled passion and unique skill for transforming the rustiest and most beat-up items into like-new products that can fetch a big price tag. He doesn't shy away from a challenge and has worked on items as varied as a beaten-down 1940s gas pump, a rusted-out 1950s soda machine and a classic jukebox with a complex mechanical design, upping the value by restoring them to mint working condition.

God wants to do the same with us. At times, we may feel as though we are just a hunk of junk, rusted out, beaten up, dented, damaged, ready to fall apart - but God is passionate about restoring our soul back to its original mint condition. God is in the process of making all things new. (Revelation 21:5). This not only includes creation (the heavens and the earth) but includes our very soul (our being, life).

God is the Master Restorer and just like Rick Dale, He has an eye for seeing the value in each one of us - even though we have not yet been fully completed. (Phil. 1:6). Allow God to restore your soul. Get a glimpse of how much He cares for you by reading Psalm 139. Each one of us has value in His eyes (even though we might not feel it or see it) - but then again all we have to do is look at the cross.

Responding to God's Grace

In Exodus 34:6, God reveals His character to Moses and says, "…the LORD God is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness". In Psalm 103 David writes the same thing, adding that God does not deal with us as we deserve, but that He removes our sins as a father has compassion on his children.

The Bible tells us that God is love (not that He has love, but that His very nature is love). Within that love must also be judgment based on how we respond to His love - but here's the deal: Only God has the right to judge, not us. His agape love is perfect. His judgments are perfect. Oftentimes, we feel (after we have responded to God's grace in our life) that we are now able to judge others who are "living in sin". And maybe like Jonah, we end up getting ticked off when God shows them grace and they don't get what they deserve! Ouch.

Praise God we don't get what we deserve. 2 Peter 3:9 (NLT) The Lord isn't really being slow about his promise to return, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to perish, so he is giving more time for everyone to repent.

Maybe the reason Jesus hasn't returned yet, is because we haven't "returned" back to God and His grace...

Prayer of Confession

In Sunday's sermon about the Pharisee and the tax collector, Jesus made it clear that comparing ourselves to others is simply wrong - but we all do it. We oftentimes find our worth from downgrading others in order to elevate ourselves. We want and expect others to do and think the way we do because "we've got it all figured out" or "our way is best" - but the more we mediate on Scripture, the more we see ourselves in light of God's revealed Word. About the only thing that I have figured out is that God is full of mercy and grace and that His steadfast love endures forever. The Bible says He loved us while we were "still sinners". I don't know about you, but I still sin. I still fall short of God's standard. I miss the mark - and I especially miss it when I set myself up as a judge over other people's actions.

So here is the prayer that keeps me grounded so I don't get too high. “Lord Jesus have mercy on me, a sinner”. This really should help us keep ourselves in perspective to others and to God.

I was asked to share this again from the conclusion of Sunday's message. Feel free to comment on this blog by adding your own.

- "For times I’ve compared myself to others, Lord Jesus, have mercy on me"
- "For times I’ve thought too highly of myself, Lord Jesus, have mercy on me"
- "For the times I’ve reacted in anger toward someone Lord Jesus, have mercy on me"
- "For the bitterness I harbor(ed) toward church members or family members, Lord Jesus, have mercy on me"
- "For elevating myself above others, Lord Jesus, have mercy on me"
- "For being afraid of what others might think, Lord Jesus, have mercy on me"
- "For trying to get even with someone and teach them a lesson, Lord Jesus, have mercy on me"
- "For insisting on my own way, Lord Jesus, have mercy on me"

Source of Security, Hope, and Encouragement

Psalm 139 has to be one of the most intimate scriptures in the whole Bible. I love how it shows the closeness of God to human beings. I was reminded this morning how much God loves me and wants me to allow Him to love me. It's hard for me to just "rest in God's love" because it sounds too girly or syrupy...It's not very manly-sounding, but that is just my pride and false self talking.

This scripture says that God knows EVERYTHING about me and loves me anyway! Who else would love us like that (if they knew everything about us)? That is something I really cannot grasp (and apparently neither could the psalmist) - but I want to because that knowledge is a great source of security, hope, and encouragement. Here is a little excerpt of Psalm 139:

Psalm 139:1-7 (NLT)
¹ O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me.
² You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my every thought when far away.
³ You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest. Every moment you know where I am.
⁴ You know what I am going to say even before I say it, LORD.
⁵ You both precede and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head.
⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to know!
⁷ I can never escape from your spirit! I can never get away from your presence!

You can finish this on your own - with your Bible in hand and allow God to tell you personally how much He loves you, too!

Being With God in Silence

Yesterday I spent my spiritual retreat day in silence at St. Benedict Center in Schuyler. Silence is an amazing thing - mostly scary and uncomfortable, but I am becoming more and more aware of how God speaks in silence (you know, that still, small voice?) Well, I must confess that I did not hear a direct word from the Lord even though I tried. Throughout the day, I would take periods of time (10 minutes up to 50 minutes) and just sit in silence, hoping God would speak to me.

But silence is not to manipulate God in anyway. It is simply being open to anything God might have for us. It makes us vulnerable to Him. It says, "Here I am Lord. Your servant is listening". Now, even though I didn't "hear" God, I believe in faith that He is doing a work in me below the surface that I can't see yet. Was my time wasted then? Absolutely not! It was time well spent with my Maker and Creator - an opportunity to "fast" from my busyness and just "be" with God.

Here is a quote from Mother Teresa that was passed on to me today...

"The more we receive in silent prayer, the more we can give in our active life. Silence gives us a new outlook on everything. We need silence in order to touch souls. The essential thing is not what we say, but what God says to us and through us. Jesus is always waiting for us in silence." - Mother Teresa

Follow-Up To Sunday's Message

I want to pass along a prayer called “Your Most Basic Act of Worship” written by Ruth Meyers in her book called 31 Days of Praise. This prayer comes from the text in Romans 12:1 about offering ourselves to God as a spiritual act of worship. I have begun using this as a way of offering myself to God as a "living sacrifice" each day.

Lord, I’m Yours. Whatever the cost may be, may Your will be done in my life. I realize I’m not here on earth to do my own thing, or to seek my own fulfillment or my own glory. I’m not here to indulge my desires, to increase my possessions, to impress people, to be popular, to prove I’m somebody important, or to promote myself. I’m not here even to be relevant or successful by human standards. I’m here to please You.

I offer myself to You, for You are worthy. All that I am or hope to be, I owe to You. I’m Yours by creation, and every day I receive from You life and breath and all things. And I’m Yours because You bought me, and the price You paid was the precious blood of Christ. You alone, the Triune God, are worthy to be my Lord and Master. I yield to You, my gracious and glorious heavenly Father; to the Lord Jesus who loved me and gave Himself for me; to the Holy Spirit and His gracious influence and empowering.

All that I am and all that I have I give to You. I give You any rebellion in me, which resists doing Your will. I give You my pride and self-dependence, which tell me I can do Your will in my own power if I try hard enough. I give You my fears, which tell me I’ll never be able to do Your will in some areas of my life. I consent to let You energize me…to create within me, moment by moment, both the desire and the power to do Your will.

I give You my body and each of its members…my entire inner being: my mind, my emotional life, my will…my loved ones…my marriage or my hopes for marriage…my abilities and gifts…my strengths and weaknesses…my health…my status (high or low)…my possessions…my past, my present and my future…when and how I’ll go Home.

I’m here to love You, to obey You, to glorify You. O my Beloved, may I be a joy to You!

EXAMEN Your Day

One of the things I believe I have been hearing from God on this Sabbatical is my need to really get centered on Him and to see Him in ALL things. I don't usually have a problem seeing God in the fireworks, earthquakes and tornadoes of life - it's the still, small voice of everyday life where my hearing and seeing is not so good.

Tammy and I have been reading alot about incorporating spiritual disciplines into our daily life in order to stay grounded. One of these is a practice called examen. The Examen is a popular way of praying and was developed by St. Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556) ,founder of the Society of Jesus (The Jesuits). He suggested that his brothers undertake a daily way of praying by examining
their lives so they could better serve God. Here are some ways to daily "examen" your day:

Recall you are in the presence of God.
• Ask the Holy Spirit to help you look at your life with love this day.

Look at your day with gratitude.
• Begin to give thanks to God for the gifts of the day.

Ask help from the Holy Spirit.
• Look at the ways you have responded to God’s gracious gifts and love this day.

Review your whole day
• Notice the details. The context of what happened. How you acted. Your motives. Your feelings. When did I fail? Where you did not feel at your best. How conscious have you been of God’s presence and actions in your life? When did I love? See both the positive and negative. Let yourself become more sensitive to God’s grace.

• Reconcile and Resolve.
• Imagine Jesus sitting beside you. Maybe there is something you did wrong—now is the time to tell Jesus you are sorry and ask Him to be with you the next time a similar situation arises.

Hope for a Broken World

As you may know, I love various types of music. And one thing I particularly love is "tight" harmonies with an acoustic guitar only. Add that to lyrics that move me or speak to me and you've got a masterpiece. Well, here is just such a song. I came across it this morning by Selah. It brought a tear to my eye:

I Don't Always Get It

We had the opportunity to worship in Lincoln this past Sunday. While the setting seemed much more like a rock concert (smoke rising up from the dimly-lit stage as the worship team came up), I did manage to hear a word from the Lord. I was simply reminded that there are many times that God does something (or is doing something) that makes no sense to us in that moment. We question, "Lord what are you up to? I don't get this." But God asks us to just trust Him, to be patient. It's like the story in John 13. Jesus comes to Simon Peter to wash his feet and Peter doesn't get it - at all!. But Jesus says, "Hang in there. You will understand in a little bit." Sure enough, Peter gets it (for the most part. He goes a little overboard, but he gets it).

Here's my point: There are 3 learnings I'm reminded about God's way of doing things -

1. We will understand and see immediately what God is doing.
2. We will simply have to wait (days, months, years) before we know what God was up to.
3. We will never know (in this life) what God was doing because it will have played out in the next generation or maybe even much later.

My response? Stay faithful. Stay committed. Trust in the Lord with ALL my heart. Don't lose heart. God is good. His steadfast love endures forever.

Catch Your Breath

Our family is totally blessed to be able to enjoy some much needed quality time together. We are so thankful to our Bellwood Faith Family for the opportunity to take a sabbatical and do some things we wouldn't normally get to do.

We recently returned from Colorado. It was a memorable visit. I was taking pictures like crazy trying to capture the beauty of everything, but it's hard to do. Pictures and words just can't describe the magnitude of God's good creation - everything from Pikes Peak to the Garden of the Gods. It was all breath-taking!

One of the unique features of Colorado that will literally take your breath away is the change in altitude. We went from about 1,500 ft in elevation (Milford) to almost 10,000 ft at Rocky Mtn.

Mennonite Camp. It definitely took some adjusting. We had to go slow the first two days. I was ready to go climb Pikes Peak the first day, but that would not have been a smart thing. We did get to drive up the parkway and made it to the summit. Once again, you had to go slow in order to adjust the the new elevation which is 14, 115 feet. (It used to be 14,110 but they said it had "grown" five feet). Once we were there, the view took your breath away. We could see for miles! We could even see the curvature of the Earth.

Wow - God is certainly the Master Artist. We were in awe of His creation.

Am I Really THAT Busy?

We had the opportunity to worship at a church in Lincoln today. One of the things the pastor said that hit home was that "people are not really that busy". I look around at people in my congregation and in my community and say "we ARE busy people". Just 12 days into my sabbatical I've noticed how busy I usually am. We are too busy - with other things; things other than God, but the pastor today said no.

Here's his point: We can always make time for that which is really important to us.

Think about that. Whatever is important to us, we will drop everything to be there. We will put it on the top of our priority list. We will get up early so we don't miss it. We will miss doing or attending other things in order to be part of this thing that is important to us.

We are as busy as we choose to be. I know some people who feel trapped in their busyness. They feel like they have to be so busy in order to please everyone (their spouse, their kids, their co-workers, their pastor...and yes, even God), but the fact is we are not slaves or robots. We have the freedom to choose. You and I have the ability and the freedom to say either yes or no. This is called having boundaries.

So the next time you feel like you are just too busy, ask yourself "what is it about this project or event that is making me feel this way? Is it really THAT important? Is there something else MORE important that I should be doing? Or some other place I should be?"

Strengthening My Soul

I am reading a book entitled "Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership" by Ruth Haley Barton. She says one of the best things a pastor can say to their congregation is, "It is well with my soul". I hope to be able to say that at the end of my sabbatical. Too often the daily grind of pastoral work starts to eat away at one's soul. Jesus asks, "What does it profit someone to gain the whole world and lose his own soul?" What does it profit a pastor to preach the world's best sermon, build the largest membership, gain everyone's approval and yet lose their soul? Sabbatical is a time for me to receive from God and not have to wonder if "this will preach" or not. Barton says, "Many of us have reached a place where we have acquired a lot of knowledge and accomplished much, but something is missing. We are desperate to find our way back to God that will feed our own souls. I'm tired of helping others enjoy God. "

During my sabbatical I will be intentional about times of solitude and silence in hopes of hearing from God and just being with God. What might God reveal to me about Himself? What might God reveal to me about myself? What will God ask me to change? I'm not sure, but I will try to be open to what God has for me. Barton says that when the pain of staying the same is greater greater than the pain of changing, we are ripe for God to act. Like a sacrifice, I bring myself into God's presence. I offer myself to Him. Most of what happens in solitude is happening below the surface. I will have to trust that even though I may not see it, God will continue to do a transforming work in me. Only those whom God has transformed are prepared to lead others in the transformation they seek.

It is good to remove myself from the arena where I receive so much of my identity from. I have already struggled a bit with feeling like I should be doing something - but sabbatical will remind me to be still and know that God is God AND that my identity is in Him and not in what I do. I look forward to journey on a path of better self-discovery. Like Moses with the burning bush, I hope to pay better attention to God. Too many times I am so busy doing God's work that I totally miss where He is - why? Because I am a fixer, a problem-solver. I am used to pushing ahead with whatever needs doing, but sabbatical is not about fixing, solving or doing. It's about letting go - of patterns and behaviors that no longer serve me well. Barton says, "We live in bondage to that which does not take us forward in the life of grace."

I have experienced much grace in my life - but unfortunately I forget to live out of that grace sometimes. We all need moments in our life to allow the chaos and busyness to settle so we can allow God to remind us of His steadfast love for each of us. This reminder will strengthen my soul.

10 Ways to Know it is Time to Quit

After Sunday's message, I thought I would share some more insight into whether or not it's time for you to quit. Take a few minutes to see how many of the following ten statements apply to you.

1. You need the approval of others to feel good about yourself.
2. You are angry, sad, or disappointed and feel guilty about it.
3. You believe you don’t have choices.
4. You do for others what they can and should do for themselves.
5. Your rarely consider your own hopes and dreams because of your focus on others.
6. You say “yes’ when you would rather say “no”.
7. You have difficulty speaking up when you disagree or prefer something different.
8. You’re becoming a less instead of a more loving person.
9. You are resentful and tired because you regularly “try to do it all.”
10. You are afraid to admit your weaknesses and flaws.

If two or three apply to you, you may need to start quitting. If four to six apply, you have a lot to quit; if you scored seven or above, your true self in Christ may be “buried alive."

This list comes from Peter And Geri Scazzero, authors of "Emotionally Healthy Spirituality".

More on Brokenness

Last Sunday I spoke about boasting in our brokenness. Here are some more thoughts. Some of these are excerpts from an article written by Nancy Leigh DeMoss called, "Choosing Brokenness".

Brokenness is not a feeling; it is a choice, an act of the will. Brokenness is a lifestyle of agreeing with God about the true condition of my heart and life, as He sees it. It is a lifestyle of unconditional, absolute surrender of my will to the will of God--a heart attitude that says, 'Yes, Lord!' to whatever God says.

Brokenness means the shattering of my self-will, so that the life and Spirit of the Lord Jesus may be released through me. Brokenness is my response of humility and obedience to the conviction of the Word and the Spirit of God. And as the conviction is continuous, so must the brokenness be continuous.

Which are you?

Proud people focus on the failures of others; they have a critical, fault-finding spirit. Broken people are overwhelmed with a sense of their own spiritual need. Therefore, they can esteem all others better than themselves.

Proud people have to prove that they are right; but broken people are willing to yield the right to be right.

Proud people want to be served and to be a success. But broken people desire to serve others and to make them a success.

Proud people have a drive to be recognized and appreciated. Broken people are thrilled that God would use them at all; they rejoice when others are lifted up.

Proud people are quick to take offense; but broken people are quick to forgive and overlook offenses.

Proud people wait for others to come and ask forgiveness. Broken people take the initiative to be reconciled when there is a conflict; they race to the cross and see who can get there first, no matter how wrong the other may have been.

Proud people compare themselves to others, but broken people compare themselves to the holiness of God.

God's Word teaches that brokenness brings blessedness. Jesus said, 'Blessed are the poor in spirit'--i.e., the 'broken ones,' those who recognize that they are spiritually bankrupt and poverty-stricken. Psalms 34:18 says, "The LORD is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit".

And one of my personal favorites is Psalm 51:17 "The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise".

Amazingly, and by His grace, God has called broken Pastors to lead broken people.