Why Work?! :-)

A little encouragement for the working person! (And for those praying that they will find a job! ....I am praying for you, too!) I loved this little article and pray that God connect all of us with the opportunity to use our gifts, bless our families and cities, and make disciples in the very places we are naturally planted. :-)

Especially for those who feel they are "caught" between their "ministry" and the workplace... Why the great divide!?! God will make a way. Here's to making disciples wherever we are! :-)
And here's to the work of the "ministry" --whatever that may look like!

Why Work?
by Os Hillman

"For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies. Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread." (2 Thess. 3:10-13 NKJV)

Jesus probably spent most of His life working in His family's carpentry business. We know almost nothing of His youth from adolescence until He began His public ministry at about age 30. But we know that His father was a carpenter (Matt. 13:55) and that Jesus also practiced the trade (Mark 6:3). Carpenters worked with wood, metal, and stone to produce furniture and farm implements, and constructed houses and public buildings.

Jesus may have continued His occupation even after He began to teach and travel. Rabbis (or teachers) of the day commonly spent anywhere from one-third to one-half of their time working (most likely with their hands) to provide for themselves. And while Jesus' opponents, many of them rabbis, attacked Him on numerous grounds, they never accused Him of laziness or freeloading. Indeed, He was known to them as a carpenter.[1]

That reputation passed on to the early church. Paul tells the Thessalonians that anyone who has an ability to work should do so. It is God's mandate for every believer and is the place where we can best express the nature of God in everyday life.

Our work allows us to demonstrate integrity. Our work allows us to provide for our families and others in need. Our work allows us to often connect with non-believers. Our work allows us to live out His calling upon our lives. Our work allows us to experience His power in the midst of daily challenges. Our work can be a place of worship when we do it with a motive to glorify Him.

Today, view your work the way God views your work. It is your primary call.

[1] Adapted from Word in life study Bible article, http://www.ivmdl.org/wil.cfm?study=43

Know Who You Are and OWN It!!!!

Do You Know Who You Are?
by Os Hillman

"Continue your love to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart" (Ps 36:10).

Someone once said, "Success is when those who know you the best are those who love you the most."

Years ago a man named Jahari developed a self-assessment tool that helps us understand how we relate to others. The Jahari Window helps us realize where we are in our ability to know who we are and for others to know who we are. Real transparency in communication takes place when those we associate with us know who we are after we discover who we really are. See if you can identify what category you might fall among these four:

Transparent LifeThe transparent life is the life we should desire. I know who I am and others know me. There is nothing hidden. I have come to know who I am as an individual and basically people get what they see in me.

Bull-In-The-China Shop This person is blinded to the things that others recognize about him. The solution to becoming a transparent person is to get feedback from those around us about the blind spots in our personality. We must ask for the feedback and be willing to respond to their input.

Aloof/Hidden SecretsThis person lives in a secret world. They don't allow others to know about themselves. They know themselves but are fearful of letting others know. Those around them do not know them either. What do others really know about you? Have you allowed yourself to get close enough to others to share who you really are inside?

Hidden PotentialThis is a combination of Bull-In-A-China Shop and Aloof/Hidden Secrets. It is the saddest of all conditions. These people don't know themselves and others don't know them either. This means both parties have to invest the energy to communicate and get feedback from one another.
How about you? Why not take a step to find out who you really are in the eyes of others. It could change your life.

Celebrating with the Irish! :-)

(Celtic/Irish celebration song)

words by Sydney Carter, music traditional

I danced in the morning when the world was begun
I danced in the Moon & the Stars & the Sun
I came down from Heaven & I danced on Earth
At Bethlehem I had my birth:

Dance then, wherever you may be
I am the Lord of the Dance, said He!
And I'll lead you all, wherever you may be
And I'll lead you all in the Dance, said He!
(...lead you all in the Dance, said He!)

I danced for the scribe & the pharisee
But they would not dance & they wouldn't follow me
I danced for fishermen, for James & John
They came with me & the Dance went on:

I danced on the Sabbath & I cured the lame
The holy people said it was a shame!
They whipped & they stripped & they hung me high
And they left me there on a cross to die!

I danced on a Friday when the sky turned black
It's hard to dance with the devil on your back
They buried my body & they thought I'd gone
But I am the Dance & I still go on!

They cut me down and I leapt up high
I am the Life that'll never, never die!
I'll live in you if you'll live in Me -
I am the Lord of the Dance, said He!

Deliverance/Infusion:

Light, light
All around light

Surrounding
Infusion

Escape from confusion
Deliverance

From temptation
Surrounded by light.

Where darkness accuses
Seduction and muses

Are calling your name
In the darkest of night

I declare infusion
Escape from delusion

Escape from temptation
And pathway to flight

Weighted glory
Will win in this story

And darkness is snuffed out.
And I declare light!


Children of sorrow
Lift your heads

For each morrow
The grace is upon you

To walk in the light.

In a daze for a moment

It thought it could hold you
But your True God is for you

And He declares light.



Light, light,
All around light!


Children of darkness

Now walk in the light.


Infusion upon you
Illusion had bound you.
Confusion had found you.
But I declare light.
The brightness of glory
Is grace in this story
Deliverance has found you
And I declare light.



(I saw light coming down and in the midst of darkness and temptation the lights were turned completely on in the grace of God to preserve His children from being tempted in darkness. He always provides a way of escape. I saw him FLOODING the rooms with BRIGHT LIGHT. And it was the cry of His soldiers hearts to escape temptation though it may have had a momentary lure. It was not their true hearts' desire to give way to temptation, but to be delivered from evil. And God promises ALWAYS to give a way of escape. In His grace, He infused the building with light. Full blown, beautiful light that totally stomped out the darkness from existence and eliminated its power completely--exposing its lies. The beauty of the brightness was overwhelming and completely perfect in its beauty. And all things were possible in the beauty of this brightness.)