Author Archives: Seeking Peace

My Office, Part 2

02 Friday Dec 2011

Posted by in minstry

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var gaJsHost = ((“https:” == document.location.protocol) ? “https://ssl.” : “http://www.”); document.write(unescape(“%3Cscript src='” + gaJsHost + “google-analytics.com/ga.js’ type=’text/javascript’%3E%3C/script%3E”)); try { var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker(“UA-12356560-1”); pageTracker._trackPageview(); } catch(err) {} God, thank you for using me and allowing me to minister in your kingdom.  Thank you for making my workplace a place where I can help others and to share the lessons on my pain and of my victories so that they might find peace, healing and reconciliation with you and with those they love. 

Grace and peace to you.

My Office

30 Wednesday Nov 2011

Posted by in ministry

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var gaJsHost = ((“https:” == document.location.protocol) ? “https://ssl.” : “http://www.”); document.write(unescape(“%3Cscript src='” + gaJsHost + “google-analytics.com/ga.js’ type=’text/javascript’%3E%3C/script%3E”)); try { var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker(“UA-12356560-1”); pageTracker._trackPageview(); } catch(err) {} On November 14th, a female employee walked in my office, sat down and proceeded to tell me how and why her family was about to be evicted from their home.  It’s a sad story and one where satan’s attacks are all to evident.  The attempt to destroy and tear down is hard to hear, harder to watch. 

I’m thankful for the opportunity to sit in an office for an employer where people can walk in, sit down, pour out their hearts and I can often get them help that they need in some form.  Ministry happens in all sorts of places and I thank God for using me in unusual circumstances to be a part of his kingdom.

Grace and peace to you.

Silence is Golden

28 Monday Nov 2011

Posted by in hearing God, silence

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var gaJsHost = ((“https:” == document.location.protocol) ? “https://ssl.” : “http://www.”); document.write(unescape(“%3Cscript src='” + gaJsHost + “google-analytics.com/ga.js’ type=’text/javascript’%3E%3C/script%3E”)); try { var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker(“UA-12356560-1”); pageTracker._trackPageview(); } catch(err) {} When I speak, God can hear me.

When I am silent, I can hear God.

Grace and peace to you.

Surrender

24 Thursday Nov 2011

Posted by in surrender, Thanksgiving

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var gaJsHost = ((“https:” == document.location.protocol) ? “https://ssl.” : “http://www.”); document.write(unescape(“%3Cscript src='” + gaJsHost + “google-analytics.com/ga.js’ type=’text/javascript’%3E%3C/script%3E”)); try { var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker(“UA-12356560-1”); pageTracker._trackPageview(); } catch(err) {} Today I am thankful for surrender. 

Sunday, I spoke for our communion focus at church and shared the idea of surrender as seen through my eyes. 

It’s not a word most people use often or like very much.  The idea of turning power, control and authority over to another isn’t something that naturally appeals to most people, certainly not me.  Most of my life has been in battle, my will versus God’s desire for me, my control of my life or his control of my life.  I fought valiantly and always thought I could win the battle, retain control, have the power…but I lost.  I finally gave in, I finally waved the white flag, I finally submitted to a force that was greater than me. 

In Matthew’s account of Jesus’ death, I find these words in chapter 27, verses 50-52:
50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
 51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split 52 and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. [emphasis mine]

I remember when I gave up my spirit.  I felt the foundation underneath me shake and I knew something greater than me was in control and I have felt it time and again after going back into battle for my will.  Oh, I surrender much faster now because I know the battle won’t be won and the power of God is greater and stronger and more steadfast than anything I would muster…or hope to.

My victory has been found in my surrender.  My triumph is evident when I lay my battle down and submit to the Lord, the creator and the savior.  I became a victor when I surrendered to the power of the sacrifice on the cross and the resurrection from the dead by Jesus Christ. 

Today, I am thankful for surrender.  Thankful that Jesus gave up his spirit, thankful that I made the decision to give up mine too.

Grace and peace to you.

Keeping Christ in Christmas?

22 Tuesday Nov 2011

Posted by in Charity, Christmas

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var gaJsHost = ((“https:” == document.location.protocol) ? “https://ssl.” : “http://www.”); document.write(unescape(“%3Cscript src='” + gaJsHost + “google-analytics.com/ga.js’ type=’text/javascript’%3E%3C/script%3E”)); try { var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker(“UA-12356560-1”); pageTracker._trackPageview(); } catch(err) {} The new Target ads for Black Friday are a beating and, for me, illuminate all the negative about what Christmas has become for so many in this country.  The commercial depicts a lady in hysterics about the opening of Target at 4:00 AM or whatever crazy time they throw the doors open.  Now, full disclosure requires me to tell you that I make a living in the retail industry and that Black Friday is a BIG day for my company but it doesn’t mean I like what drives it.  I suppose it’s not really all the shopping and ridiculous spending that I have been a part of in my life as much as it’s the spirit of which I hear things and see things, in others and in myself, that irritate me.

On Facebook and so many other places, I will begin to see people writing “Keep Christ in Christmas”.  Now, I’m all for it if they are all keeping Christ in Christmas and this is what it would look like to me.  Money being spent lavishly on the hurting, homeless, drug-addicted, porn fueled broken people that are so easy to find all around us.  Money being spent lavishly on people in third-world countries (another term I’d like to find a better replacement for), being sent to Christian Relief Fund, Charity Water, Mision Para Cristo and other worthy organizations. 

How many toys can I have?  Heaven knows I have asked for and gladly accepted more than I could ever use or need and I have done the same thing with my kids at times.  I thank God I and they are in a place now where a couple of gifts is enough (still more than we need) and I can send money to help others…or better yet, I can keep Christ in Christmas by serving with my time and with my heart. 

Grace and peace to you.

MANA

13 Sunday Nov 2011

Posted by in aid, Charity, help, MANA

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I was watching World News Tonight Sunday evening and they did a story on the peanut butter meals provided by organizations like MANA and UNICEF.  I like MANA because I believe they are trying to do more than simply feed the physical but it where they start and something that is urgently needed in parts of the world.

I was blessed recently to be asked by a friend to speak at her business periodically to some of her managers.  It’s something I love doing and I told her I would do it and didn’t want to be paid.  This friend can be insistent so I told her I would do it if she made a donation to a charity I would suggest each time we met and she agreed.  Cool deal all the way around.  So, my first charity was MANA and I hope she and I can work together to help fund many more good efforts in the future.  
I’d encourage you to donate also.  MANA
Grace and peace to you.

JoePa’s Condemnation

13 Sunday Nov 2011

Posted by in assault, condemnation, Joe Paterno, JoePa

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One guy is alleged to have assaulted multiple kids and another guy is getting all the publicity as the bad guy.  It’s just wrong.var gaJsHost = ((“https:” == document.location.protocol) ? “https://ssl.” : “http://www.”); document.write(unescape(“%3Cscript src='” + gaJsHost + “google-analytics.com/ga.js’ type=’text/javascript’%3E%3C/script%3E”)); try { var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker(“UA-12356560-1”); pageTracker._trackPageview(); } catch(err) {}

First, let me say it doesn’t seem Joe Paterno did the right thing from what I have heard.  That’s something he’ll have to live with the rest of his days.
Second, Jerry Sandusky is the guy in the wrong here and the one that authorities need to focus on to find out what he did and how they can help the victims.  
I was listening to sports radio Friday and a caller came on saying that JoePa should burn in a special place in hell for what he didn’t do.  Really?  The condemnation in the caller’s voice and words ware harsh and I can’t help but wonder how often one person condemns another when the first person isn’t even following the greatest command – to love the Lord their God with all their heart, mind and soul.
It’s easy to condemn and never look in the mirror.  Is not loving God as bad as someone assaulting a young child?  Sandusky is in the wrong but he’s still a child of God.  Paterno is in the wrong but he’s still a child of God.  I hope the radio caller remembers Jesus’ words about who should cast the first stone.  
Come to think of it, I hope I’ll remember it.
Grace and peace to you.

I’ve Lost That Blogging Feeling

10 Thursday Nov 2011

Posted by in retail, shopping, Thanksgiving, WalMart

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My energy and passion for writing my blog is being sucked lifeless by the rest of my life.  var gaJsHost = ((“https:” == document.location.protocol) ? “https://ssl.” : “http://www.”); document.write(unescape(“%3Cscript src='” + gaJsHost + “google-analytics.com/ga.js’ type=’text/javascript’%3E%3C/script%3E”)); try { var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker(“UA-12356560-1”); pageTracker._trackPageview(); } catch(err) {}

Right now, I’m sitting in the Las Vegas airport wondering if I’ll ever get home.  It’s been one of those days. I overslept 30 minutes and got to the airport to find out a) my flight was leaving 40 minutes earlier than what I thought and b) the Las Vegas American Airlines people give up your seat 30 minutes before boarding if you’re on a free flight and the flight is oversold.  So, they give me a ticket on the next flight out and I proceed to the security area where the TSA agent asks me what name I go by.  I said “Jeff” and he said “so who’s Gregory?”  The gate agent issued me the wrong ticket.  I head back to the gate and find out I can’t get on that flight but I can get out on the next flight.  Now that flights been delayed for over 2 hours. So, I was supposed to leave at 9:00 and now I’m leaving at 3:20.  The bad part is that I’m missing time with my son which is a killer.
The good part is that I’m getting some school work done on Identity and Culture.  I take a break to look at Yahoo News and see that Wal-Mart is opening at 10:00pm on Thanksgiving night and I immediately wonder what that says about our culture.  We are a people thankful for cheap deals?  I make my living working for a company who gets paid to sell people stuff and it’s our job to figure out how to make it easy for them to spend more money with us but I’m very frustrated by retailers doing some of the holiday stuff they do.  Of course, they wouldn’t do it if the consumer didn’t eat it up so in the end I know where to put the blame which leads me back to the question of who we are.  
And who’s we are.
Grace and peace to you.

Gender Roles

28 Friday Oct 2011

Posted by in gender roles, God's will, Platt

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var gaJsHost = ((“https:” == document.location.protocol) ? “https://ssl.” : “http://www.”); document.write(unescape(“%3Cscript src='” + gaJsHost + “google-analytics.com/ga.js’ type=’text/javascript’%3E%3C/script%3E”)); try { var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker(“UA-12356560-1”); pageTracker._trackPageview(); } catch(err) {} I love it when I need something and it is given to me before I need it.  Such it was with the David Platt quote I used in yesterday’s blog. 

I was in a conversation that led to gender roles within the church.  Now, the congregations I’ve attended have had pretty strict rules on what men or women could or couldn’t do but also had cases where there was total bewilderment on who the role belonged to or what it should look like.  Good stuff, right?  Oh, how I imagine Satan gets all giddy when we can be pulled off the effort of seeking and saving the lost by debating with other believers.  So, I asked the question similar to what Platt asked.  What happens when you ask God to help you understand your role and he answers you?  Will you accept the answer?

I’m guilty of asking God for guidance and when I don’t like the guidance I just ignore it.  God’s OK with that because he can see a million moves ahead of me and he’s prepared for the choices I make…but that doesn’t mean I should ignore God when he speaks.  I wonder if much of our battles about gender roles and the like are more about what God says (or purposefully doesn’t say) and our desire being in conflict instead of accepting what he has said (or purposefully left unsaid) and doing his will whatever the cost.  I wonder…

Grace and peace to you.

The Force of Will

27 Thursday Oct 2011

Posted by in David Platt, God's will, Rangers, World Series

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var gaJsHost = ((“https:” == document.location.protocol) ? “https://ssl.” : “http://www.”); document.write(unescape(“%3Cscript src='” + gaJsHost + “google-analytics.com/ga.js’ type=’text/javascript’%3E%3C/script%3E”)); try { var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker(“UA-12356560-1”); pageTracker._trackPageview(); } catch(err) {} I was at the Rangers game Monday night with my son and loving every minute of it.  That is, loving being with him, not the whole Rangers game.  The early innings had me running through various emotions with varying levels of intensity and I’m ususally a laid-back fan.  I walked around the concourse for two and a half innings watching it on the TV’s periodically.  That may have had as much to do with the 60+ year old man and his twenty-something stripper-looking girlfriend in front of us as anything but I’ll still attribute it to the bad pitching and errors.  All that to say, I think the Rangers won by force of will with some Cardinals managing and performance mistakes thrown in along the way. 

That brings me to this, a David Platt tweet on Tuesday.  The most popular question: How do I know God’s will? A more pressing question: Will I obey God’s will?  What a great comment.  I have known the big picture will of God most of my life and simply failed to obey it.  Not so much failed and chose, really.  I am one of those people who want to know the will of God…as long as it works within my parameters of what I want to do.  “God, let me help someone today.”  “Uhh, God, is there anyone who looks and dresses more like me I can help?  I don’t know how to talk to those people and they are dirty and stink.”  “God, do something powerful in my life today.”  “Uhhh, God, I didn’t mean anything that could make my life/income/retirement/free time/beliefs more difficult.” 

Will I obey God’s will?  Regardless of the cost?

Grace and peace to you.