Musings

“Neither…”

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“Neither”

Right or Wrong

What side will you take?

Which one shall I chose?

Who will you stand with?

Life is full of choices they bombard us every day for attention from large challenges to small incidental choices that make up the day, tea or coffee, is it toast or biscuits, this way or that way some times choices of opposites and some times so slightly different that it can be complicated.    Choices of benefits to you personally, choices that benefit the whole wider community, choices that cost you but are for the greater good.  O my word life is full of them!

We also know that from the onset of Gods dealings with humanity, in the account of early Genesis, that he also offers choices.    Looking at the story of Adam the Father seeks to mature his sons by bringing before them choices, so that we can learn what it is to be led by the Spirit (Romans 8:14).   Adam is given a choice of trees to eat from and directed in his choice yet he made the very opposite choice. Since the beginning God has brought moral choices to you and I as a process of our maturing as his sons.     We are even told in Hebrews 5:8 that Jesus who had grown in favour with men also and “learned obedience through suffering” even the Christ had choices set before him, through his overcoming choice He brought to you and I the entry to a face to face relationship with the Father.

Yet within the pages of the bible there are choices offered and some times a different answer is presented and necessary.    When you read the opening chapter of the book of Joshua I suggest one these necessary different answer is being presented.   But let me commence by starting with offering to you a new “beginning” to this familiar account of the battle of Jericho.    We all consider the story commencing in chapter six with God telling the Israelites to walk around Jericho for seven days before the walls “came tumbling down.”    Showing us that there is a time for a “shout of faith” on one day and the long walk of 6 days of “silent faith”, we all like the shout but what about the silent faith, that’s for another article.   Let me suggest to you that the actual story beginnings  at the end of chapter five.   In Joshua 5:13 we are introduced to a simple setting that is often missed, Joshua is “near the city”, he is not at a safe distance but the picture opens up in a risky place for an enemy commander to be.     What he was doing there?      He is not at a safe distance he has found himself near his enemy and as he draws near he is about to encounter the realm beyond the moment.   Is it not often when we feel the imminent danger the nearness of threat that an encounter is on the way?     Was he on a reconnaissance mission?    Was he studying the city walls, trying to come up with a plan of attack?

Suddenly, Joshua is interrupted when he looks up and sees a man in front of him not any man but one with “drawn sword“.  Battle ready and Joshua His battle instincts triggered, Joshua walks forward with a challenge: “Are you for us or our adversaries?”

How does the man answer? “Neither, but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.”     “Neither”

Joshua’s as many of us was clear in his mind he saw two options for us or from them, but that “neither” blew his for and against, friend-or-foe sides out of the water.      The passage reveals that it is not just a man but God who was in front of Joshua— and God isn’t bound by “option A or option B” thinking.    As the story unfolds we find a strange picture being described as a shoe less commander near the enemy in the middle of holiness as God outlines His plan.

Do you like me often get lost in your mind on what comes before us with “this or that” which is “right or wrong” and the whole moment is summed up with making my choice.  we move from circumstance to people also become either “friends or foes”. I can only choose between ‘option 1 or 2’, ‘door 1 or door 2’.      Sometimes we even come knocking at God, trying to get Him to tell me which option He’s going to identify with.      Joshua’s story reminds me that God may be replying to my “This or that? questions with, “Neither.”      What does that mean to me, just maybe, perhaps it is better I recognize His presence, take off my shoes, and stand still for a while on holy ground.      Not to get religious, but the very place where your foot is standing now, in every day moment is holy ground, this is constantly the ground of God, and therefore holy ground.    Has not heaven come to earth in you, heaven has come to reside in you, to remain in his temple, you are the temple of the Holy Spirit, the residence of Christ, you are always standing on holy ground.    Then avoid making somewhere outside of you as holy and disqualifying yourself, thinking too little of yourself, God has chosen to make his residency in this human life, is this not part of salvation?   Heaven has come to earth inside you.    Otherwise we will live always chasing heaven and never arriving.    Realize heaven has taken up residence in you “Christ in us the hope of glory”.     This encounter is to prevent us getting lost in the debate of sides “whose side are you on”, but more bout getting a third perspective, so that He your heavenly Father can outline a perspective we would have never considered otherwise.

“Neither” is often the Fathers view when we offer our predicament, or situation, friend or foe arguments, which way is it this or that and the answer is “neither” let me show you my option.      Listen for your “Neither” to have heavens option

” – “…Between the Times, a hyphen between two dates!

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Far Reaching

” –  ” will you be willing to put your trust in God… even when nothing is happening?

Acts 1:12-26, what a passage when people’s’ worlds turn up side down then a promise “…wait until…” what did they expect?    they had become quite aware of the unexpected by now.   Who is going to come?   Is this what we are waiting for the “…promise…”.   O the topsy-turvy times of following Jesus.      These two things seem to go together, wait and promise, wait and promise, can you hear them it’s on its way, but all you can shout is WHEN?

How many times do we go through this emotional roller-coaster, how many times are we left to our own devices? it seems like he is there,  we see and hear him, then silence and what do we do?   does it sound familiar,  all you have to do is wait!

I focused on the question of whether the 120 disciples in the upper room did the right thing in choosing Matthias as Judas as successor. Hey I am not going to bring a judgement, just a reflection and a question that poses itself over our lives.  They were “between the times“—following Jesus’ ascent and before the Holy Spirit’s descent.    Between times, have you ever thought of people’s’ graves or epitaphs “David Smith 1934 – 1998,  the person’s whole life is concluded with  a hyphen.   all you have done, all you hoped for, all you waited for summed up in ” – “.  How long is yours?  ” – ” what have you done?  ” – ” sums it all up, we are all marked with the same mark are we not? at the end of the day a ” – “.   So what happened in your ” – ” did it all just roll by,  did some one take hold of your life and formulate it, or did you design your own ” – “?.

Between times, between two dates I wonder what are life’s’ joys, trials, advances and successes and of course some set backs,  where are the places and times when God  shows himself?   I think it all comes down to how I conduct myself in the between times.

Consider these thoughts:

  • When nothing is happening we often tend to make things happen. The disciples had no direction or instruction to do what they did, that I can see, to choose Judas’ successor. The 120 may have felt a need to do something during the time they were waiting for the promise of the Father (see Acts 1:4).    Been there?  Abraham was….. and in that between time was when he agreed on a plan to produce a son?
  • When we get simple instructions from God we should take them with both hands. Their instructions were clear and simple: Don’t leave Jerusalem, and wait.     Complicated or what?   there must be more we say inside our selves!
  • When nothing is happening but we are obedient, it is God’s problem, not ours.

When I’m in South Africa I am asked,  when in the UK I am asked, in the USA I am asked…..”What are you seeing amongst the churches in this nation or that one today?”  “What is God doing in UK, Africa, Asia?”    We have great pockets of God at work right in front of us along with behind the scenes, many will say your missing it if don’t you know about this place or that ministry?……But the the answer is: “Not a lot these days”, now before you go down my throat and defend what your involved with, this is not a denial what God is working in lives and places but let me say something,  Certainly when you compare what is happening to what is coming! If we sum up whats happening in light of what God has  promised, we have to get real.     I thank God for bright spots in the world, the places where God is manifesting his rule and his power, the great testimonies of his love and grace don’t misunderstand me!   But as the saying goes, “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”

I think we are somewhat in the position of the 120, God is working and yet we still  have to be obedient to wait and to work — between the times. The awakening that will shake the world has not yet emerged.    But boy can you feel it rising, we call for a wave of God, deep movings of God to be seen, evident on every shore of every country.   I long to see a moving of God, not just captured in one place where the Christian world runs to, to see, copy and glean from, but  what i call a NOAH revival when the deeps open up and the rain from on high meet and the whole world at one time is flooded with God himself, for this must be revival “God Himself” this is my definition……. when every historic well, every visitation of the past, every uncompleted work of God on earth explodes together when no man or movement can take it up and market it, or promote it as a product of a ministry or a place, but God himself comes to all these places at one time Azusa, South Wales, Hebrides…. on and on the list goes, where God came himself……. and now they all break-forth at one time no one but God will own that!   then we will see a restorative work to herald the Christ, a restorative work of God!   So between times let us do all we have been told, being attentive, obedient, which at the end of the day is true worship is it not, to sing songs is a wonderful medium to communicate heart and emotions by but with our obedient hearts its just singing, with obedience its powerful, while looking for the promise that is coming.

Between Times!

Weather Challenges – Ready not Reluctant

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Clouds roll in!

Strange “weather patterns” moved in to the Cape area where we live when in South Africa, from our house we look across to the Stand, a sea front town and look down off a mountain to a harbour along with a small town called Gordons Bay, to the side of the harbour a ‘blue flag’ beach called Bikini Beach, the name passes comment to its size and the flag status to its safety from shark attacks and cleanliness.    Well we have lost them all, due to sea mist over the last three days, they disappeared under a white blanket.  As a matter of fact as I sit writing this it’s happening for the third day in row, right in front of me.  A hanging white mist separating two worlds.   One world stands in sunlight warming everything up and is very inviting, the other world in a dimly lit damp cold atmosphere, uninviting.   In the mist the temperature drops to 17.5 C and felt really cold and clammy, outside of the mist its temperatures rise to 27.5 C warm and bright.

As we drive along the roads we have a choice of entering into the clammy, damp, clouded world of the mist or to stay in the sun soaked world where its bright, warm and has blue sky, the contrast is so dramatic.   The change that confronts you on every level is quite something.   Naturally speaking I want to stay in the warm where it seems safe and your sight lines are clear, seeing with the ability to see distance there, familiar and understood the world of the sunny land.     Some times we have to drive into the mist and its like being in a ‘pea soup’ as they once called fog in London many years ago.
In the land of mist it’s all change, the familiar becomes an unfamiliar world we have to drive at a slow speed to even enable us to stay on the road, to make sure that we stay within the accepted direction.  The familiar surroundings with a little mist which changes it all, it removes our ability to depend on the usual and thrusts us into a world of learning new trust.   My physical senses have to be heightened, my sight, my hearing all have to be applied more intentionally and now I don’t have a choice as my house has been enveloped into the mist, so in order to get home, to where I belong I need to trust.
I don’t think moving into a mist where life becomes unclear and changes are afoot is unusual     As I look through the scriptures I find 151 references to clouds in the NASB version, clouds appear for different reasons.    But some speak right into my aim of my writing, the first reference we come across brings significance to clouds, mist and sets some great discoveries into the clouds if we will only take a look.
Genesis 9:12

God said, “This is the sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all successive generations;

13 I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth.

It is a challenge to enter into the dimly damp uninviting world    Although amazing, set in the clouds there are important indicators, signs in a world that we have to let go of the usual places, where we can order and control, and  come into the communion with God, where we let go and see what will be opened up to us.   A world where Covenant signs are seen, where we are so out on a limb, some times feeling insecure with nothing around to take hold of, yet God in his love to you and me exposes his Covenant ways, marking us out with a sign in the midst of mist!

A sign that will stay never mind what the situation or conditions surrounding you and I, a sign that marks us out, a sign that marks us out not to have life as usual but to participate in the adventure of a Covenant God – come on into the mist you will see better once in and we are transformed to look differently.
Exodus 20:21 tells me of the life style that Moses has taken on, a way that makes the readiness to enter into the cloud environment, as if once been there in that place of transformation or transfiguration there is a readiness to let go and enter in to let our eyes be confused the senses be confused that we look to see and hear the things that really matter, Gods view-point on the matters of life.    Moses entered into the “thick cloud” a place of transformation, of intimate conversation, of seeing worlds to come, a coming Kingdom that is arriving in our world today, shaking and rattling life as we know it, as a God – Christ focused world emerges in our world from the “thick cloud”.   Life in the mist, is to be at home in the view from God’s perspective!
More of Moses mist, cloud experiences

Misty, Misty, Misty!

Exodus 24:15 Then Moses went up to the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain.     16 The glory of the Lord rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; and on the seventh day He called to Moses from the midst of the cloud.      17 And to the eyes of the sons of Israel the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on the mountain top.     18 Moses entered the midst of the cloud as he went up to the mountain; and Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

This is an common story,  mist and clouds appear in the saints experience, we have to be ready, rather than reluctant to participate.

My encouragement to you is to enter the world of the unfamiliar from the familiar, make it an experience, that my trust gets lost in the Christ and not in the world of my control.   That I am willing for my sight and my feelings to be adjusted so that my paradigms can be transformed.   For Psalm 91:1, 2 tells me that in this environment “cloud” is where the Lord is enthroned.  In the place of change the place of let go the place of a new reference point.    But I have to be ready to let go of my existing world frame to catch the necessary impact.
What more was it for the three disciples accounted for in the experience of the cloud environment when their reference point of life was firmly adjusted.   As the participated and where brought into the transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain, they were told to say nothing!   My whole of life has been given a new reference point and I must hold it in my heart!
For the clouds of Mark 9 and Luke 9 overshadowed them, here they saw a new vista, they heard a new voice, a confirming voice, a Fathers voice spoken.   O yes I know they did not get it all as they were eager to build alters and required gentle adjustment, but surely their viewpoint was adjusted.
A place where their entire world was taken from them and a new world forcibly put into their minds and memories.   For in this cloud a VOICE came, perhaps a “..bow…”  (Gen. 9:12,13) a sign of covenant they heard set into the cloud, there are things to listen to as we are willing to let go.    They looked around and saw no one their eyes trained for different seeing as they let go and embraced this environment of the Father
O yes fear was certainly an aspect as they had to depart from one paradigm to another here, God is constantly inviting us into a place to have to trust him and allow him to change our paradigms.   It seems that only a voice in the mist, the unclear, can help any one of us.   Be careful that we don’t run around listening for voices, looking for some one to say some thing when what we need is one voice to speak peace – covenant love – bring sight to the reality of Gods working in the middle of when we cannot see, or hear and all change is happening.   Coming out of the cloud there will be change, you can guarantee that,  we had better “…listen to him…”.
The emotion will run high, the adrenalin will flow, the thoughts of ‘God help me’ clear my eyes o God to see, will all be there in our cries.     The familiar is under scrutiny and is demanding we reach for the unfamiliar.   Be careful we don’t bring the familiar to secure and settle the unfamiliar at this stage.    Its walking a different way!
Never been this way before it’s a misty foggy, way it is like we don’t know what’s going to appear next out of the mist as the nature of this kind of transformation, comes with no warning, you don’t see it coming but you have to settle trust and peace long before.
One lesson is that what you are going for or travelling towards had better be on the inside of you at this stage, as you cannot depend on natural eyesight here.   It’s a deep encounter inside of you time, that you walk away from, never to depend on the familiar again,  but now you have graduated to trust the inside of yourself, more so, a transformation takes place and you are taken out of the mundane into the adventure of being led by the Holy Spirit

In all this my body tells me I want to stay in the sun where its warm I don’t want to step away from the comfort, yet I know I have to step to the unfamiliar trusting the Father.  Knowing it’s about a new level, Sandra often ministers that every new level needs a new encounter a transfiguration to take us into the order God wants us in.     My sight has to change, my peripheral vision my long-term view to see anew, with sharp insight for the moment I now live in!           A new environment awaits us all ever day, every morning as we wake it’s another day to set out for transformations, transfiguration to see and be different, to come from the mist and to walk away knowing and understanding a little more, fully aware that another day will come and invite us again into that transfiguration, enabling  God to bring about his goal in the earth through us. Give yourself to a misty, cloudy new encounter!   What got you here worked and we can celebrate all but we also know it will not get us through tomorrows challenges, yet in the mist/cloud we will hear a voice, see a new way and return more ready for the challenge, walking with a people who too have been trained in the mist!.

To be ready not reluctant to embrace the unfamiliar over the familiar, A New environment

Genesis Father?

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Genesis "...let there be..."

I Started reading the Psalms in the message as it was an uncomfortable read, little poetry, etc.   Perhaps I am too classic when reading the Psalms.     But my word what a powerful opening up in understanding it has been to read in, revelational, transforming, full of riches.   keep on coming God!

I came to Psalm 51 in my long walk through this great experience book where other writers relate their inner and every-day feelings and dealings, he exposes some interesting thoughts.   Its a Psalm that visits the a transformation though God’s forgiveness along with the turn around of a forgiven life.        As I read a phrase went through my mind, I considered and thought “…how about getting to Know God as a Genesis God, Father...”   Not an event far off in some distant past, or an argument for Creation V Evolution but to see Genesis as part of God nature, character, now that would be different.     To know you as a Genesis Father, that every month, week, day and hour you are this every moment towards us.

A Father that by your nature not a once off act but the way you are, a demonstration of who you are, a continuation of how you conduct yourself my God, a Genesis God for your creation.

Psalm 51: 9, 10 Message (keep reading the Psalm to the end for other comments below)

“…God, make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life…”

The Psalmist outlines the impact of you the Genesis Father, his life is transformed from a heavy steps to “…foot-tapping…” from sadness and complaint to “…songs…” from a dislocation, broken useless forms “…once-broken bones…” to strengthen functional dancing, with a rhythm infused structure catching the rhythm of Genesis Father, as is there not a sound in creation a rhythm of your voice a creation that is a full of rhythm “…let there be…” a rhythm as pulsars repeat themselves in sound across the universe.      Foot-tapping, dancing rhythm that humanity lost, Just as the Christ dealt with the woman with the 12 year issue of blood he brought her back into rhythm, the 12 year child, daughter in the same passage is connected she is brough back to life’s rhythm.   A Genesis week in that tow!

A mixture of pictures for us to grasp, at least one of these should engage us let your imagination take hold of one of these pictures

Foot-taping…Dancing bones…Greyness removed…Wind in the sail…Live giving way…Unbuttoned lips of praise – true lose lips!

This is enough transformation to consider is it not!        For this is the Genesis Father who can bring transformation like this, rather than know he was a creating in Genesis once why not begin to know him intimately as a Genesis Father.     What a way to know you every second as Genesis for this makes you an overcoming Father a God that is creating weeks that are full of Genesis for us all

“…God, make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life…”

Fresh start, often we heard preach, a new starts but what about living in a Genesis way of life, can my life display this, it should do, that I live in a Genesis week every day.     You O God in your nature moves in my life as Genesis Father.   Creating, forming the formless and filling the void this is you, you are this to me!      Foot tap, bones dance, coloured invading, sail filling-catching, life imparting, unbuttoned lips loosed to praise you have made a genesis week!

Wind of Change blows

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Change in the Harvest

“Rebels make advance…”, “Assad family rule if Syria…”, “Up to a million flee from Ivory Coast…”, what’s happening across Northern Africa and Arab States?

What changing times we are in once again, some of us are not too old to recall when a wind of change blew across Eastern Europe and walls fell, now we see the cracks in other walls.   First Egypt, then Tunisia, now Bahrain, Yemen, Syria and now Libya, which fills our news, screens and papers.
A couple of weeks ago two teenage sisters marched across a stretch of no mans land in central Bahrain with a national flag and a flower to lay at the feet of the police and army,  directly following their walk, they were captured in TV interviews in floods of tears declaring that they would die for freedom sake, O lord help us!
Commentators shout it’s all about “…OIL…” I am not here to comment on political standpoints or take up arguments better fought by intellectuals,  or argue in political circles, who am I to even tread in these arenas?   What ever the cause or reason we see now, we are yet to see what history will say?
I know that the unrest is not localised to Northern Africa or Arab States when we see riots in Athens or riots in Brussels or even in the UK student  protest,  finance cuts protest on the streets of London.   Yet as a follower of Christ we are to be those who can give insight and interpretation to all that is happening.
We have graduated in the church, the called out people of God, to realise that the Holy Spirit does not restrict himself to moving in the church alone only, but moves in the earth, better  thought in creation as the “…. earth is the Lords…”.    We as people have  realised and discovered that the secular/spiritual divide is not one that can be found within the scriptures or in Gods economy,  discovering that its is more a product of a “modernist’ thinking rather than a God established way.
In considering what we see happening, how do we read it?   Let me suggest one issue that has to be dealt with that I see common to all the upheaval today highlighted in Northern Africa and Arab States.   All the upheaval is in areas where there are regimes in power, where dictators have been sitting for many years, single head leadership.    Any regime, single head leadership worldwide better take note that there is a movement to remove that very system.
In the light of this very thought let me say it in simple terms, where single head leadership is in place the Spirit is moving to change, adjust and de-throne them.    The implication of this is that wherever single head leadership is established within the church, be aware the Spirit is transforming in creation.   The hierarchy of church leadership is under scrutiny!
Be aware that there is a need of transformation in our leadership in line with a people move to bring about the headship of Christ back to the church.    The days of hierarchy are certainly coming to an end,  we will find a new form of leadership that serves the body, as a company of people who know how to take lead from the leading of the Holy Spirit.
There is a move of the Spirit in the cosmos to bring about a suitable administration to these end days in which we live.   Be careful if you are the leadership, and you decide upon all that goes on in the church becoming the single leader or even the only one who controls the money,  there is A Spirit move on to bring about a leadership that is commensurate to the Christ and his purpose.  Let us be those who engage with the Spirit and influence transformation, that God might be at home in his body today
Consider our leadership, that it truly displays the Christ like servant leadership in every way, that it enables the advance of the “FAMILY of God” the church, that we practice a new form of leadership that affects the worlds of business, governments, etc.   Let us be a servant leadership to produce a servant family of God as we listen to the Spirits move!