Shepherd's Heart Blog

AVATAR (the movie) – ON BECOMING

shepherdsheart — Mon, 31 May 2010 12:49:46 +0000

Last night Tim and I watched the movie AVATAR. For those of you that have not seen it, it is worth seeing just on the beautiful photography/special effects and artwork. Think Fern Gully + Lord of the Rings + Star Wars + Dragon Riders of Pern. The main character is a young marine who has been crippled by war. His twin brother was a scientist working on a project on another planet; to infiltrate a tribe of the blue jungle people there to better understand them. A body that looks like one of theirs has been created from some of their DNA and his. By entering a sleep state in a special pod, he is able to up link his mind into the body. The sudden death of the twin brother makes the young marine uniquely qualified to take his bother’s place.

At first he is a white man in a blue man’s body. But bit-by-bit he learns to act and then think like a blue man. At one point, he says, “I have almost forgotten my old life.” What struck me after seeing the story is how like becoming a Christian this is. At first we are a sinner suddenly finding ourselves in a justified body. The fit is awkward. We want to act the way this body should, but we keep thinking like the old body. Bit-by-bit though the Holy Spirit teaches us how the new body should think. He teaches us the ways of the new tribe. As we learn we slowly begin to take on the ways of the new man, leaving the old man behind.

There is a faith principle and a scientific principle at work. One’s body actually starts to become what one “sees” oneself as. Often in healing we talk about, “seeing” oneself as healed and giving thanks for that before we have the healing manifested in our body. As we hold the image of our healed body in our mind, believing it to be done, the body actually begins to conform to the image that we hold. Even non-Christians are often able to appropriate this kind of image healing. God has so wonderfully linked our minds to our bodies that our bodies are limited or set free by the image that we hold in our mind.

I realized too this morning, that if I want to lose weight, I need to quit thinking of myself as a fat person and hold in my mind the image of a strong healthy slimmer person. I need to stop saying, “I am fat.” And think slim! No matter how few calories I eat, I am only starving a fat person. I need to be feeding a skinny person. Does this make sense to you? Well, I am going to try it, and I’ll get back to you on the results.

shepherdsheart — Fri, 28 May 2010 23:34:21 +0000

For a description of our trip to Canaan Valley Resort find it under Letters to Friends named Truro Retreat. Truro is an Anglican Church (not Episcopal) in Fairfax, Virginia. When we are in Chester, Virginia we also attend Holy Cross Anglican Church which is on the other side of the county from us. But we have a chapel in our own back yard.

The Chapel in Our Garden

Trust the Rope

shepherdsheart — Fri, 28 May 2010 14:25:53 +0000

Dear Ones,

On the morning of Dec. 31, 2009 I awoke just after having a dream. It was about having a new house. Do you know the show on TV Extreme Make-over, in which a selected family’s house is knocked down and then the show builds them a new one? Well in this dream I was being shown my new home. I was overwhelmed by the beauty. it was more than I thought that I needed or expected in a house. The living room had great cathedral ceilings with windows looking out onto a beautiful view of mountains. But what was out standing was that from the ceiling hung crystal shining ropes. They looked like light fibers. They were glowing. At the end of each rope was a crystal shining sign. “Trust the Lord,” “Believe,” “Have Faith” were some of the words on the signs. I kept saying, ” Oh, this is perfect. Yes, I trust the Lord, How did you know about this?” When I awoke I knew it was a message from God to me to trust Him even if it looks as if my house is destroyed that He will build me a better one if I just trust.

That night was New Year’s Eve. Tim and I went to Leesburg, Va. to celebrate First Night. As I read the list of singers one could go see, I was immediately drawn to the name John Flynn, so that is who we went to see. When he sang this song I knew why I was led to him. I hope you like it too.

Love,

Rebecca

Click here to hear the song. Trust The Rope

Ever feel this way?

Life Outside the Compound

shepherdsheart — Fri, 28 May 2010 02:22:45 +0000

I was privileged to hear Rev’d Canon Dr. Vinay Samuel (Executive Director of the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies) and his wife Colleen at the Truro Family and Friends Retreat May 21-23. He is a really good teacher and she has so much of Jesus’s heart that I could sit and listen to her talk all day. It was interesting that so much of what they talked about is what the Holy Spirit has been putting on Tim’s and my hearts recently. Well actually He has been putting it there ever since we got married, but it just keeps getting stronger. The same kind of messages we also heard at Exponential 10 when we were there April 18-22. She told about a dream that she had of the compound walls being breached and a river flowing out from the church’s compound across the road to the fields. And the the river became springs that came up from the ground all over the place. She talked about how when they began to ask “What is God doing and how can we join His work?” that relationships with the poor became primary. Love flowed out through them to the poor. People became saved and churches grew up in homes. Even Hindu’s opened their doors to them and asked them to have services there. Dr. Samuel taught about how the Holy Spirit connects the kingdom of God in the heavenlies to the earth, the yet with the not yet, the above to the below. His talks were about missions, but her talks were about actions. She had pictures and examples of what the Holy Spirit is doing in India. She put on flesh on his theology.

Early in our marriage Tim and I read a book that changed our perception and therefore our lives. It is called THE UPSIDE DOWN KINGDOM by Donald Kraybill. We began to see the resources that the Lord had blessed us with as belonging to Him and that we were only stewards of these resources. We didn’t need a better house, a boat, or a new car. We adopted 3 more children instead. Our one rule was that they had to be children that no one else would adopt. Was it difficult? Yes. But if you aren’t doing the impossible you are doing things in your own strength and not in God’s. Tim and I have been married almost 28 years. Why has it taken the church so long to get to the point that it is finally discussing what has been on our hearts for all this time?

Now that children are grown, Tim and I feel the call to begin something new. We don’t know yet what God wants us to do. We just know that He will show us where He is working and we will come along with Him. Will it be in the Richmond area, Northern Virginia, or somewhere else? Right now, we are praying that He clearly reveals His path for our lives to us. Please join us in prayer as we seek His will.

Books that I am reading.

shepherdsheart — Thu, 27 May 2010 17:09:52 +0000

Here is a list of books that I am currently working on:

The Anglican District of Virginia church planting board are all reading ROLAND ALLEN- THE MINISTRY OF THE SPIRT selected writings edited by David M. Paton & MOVEMENTS THAT CHANGED THE WORLD by Steve Addison . Also recommended by them is VIRAL CHURCHES by Ed Stetzer but I haven’t bought it yet. I just finished THE FORGOTTEN GOD by Francis Chan (it is already on loan) and have started CRAZY LOVE–OVERWHELMED BY A RELENTLESS GOD also by him. He spoke at the Exponential 10 Conference and I don’t think that there were many dry eyes. I was privileged to hear Alan Hirsch speak too. I absolutely loved him. I bought two of his books; THE FORGOTTEN WAYS and UNTAMED. I have one more by Roland Allen, MISSIONARY METHODS ST. PAUL’S OR OURS? Our study group is just finishing CELEBRATION OF DISCIPLINE by Richard J. Foster so I can loan that one if someone would like to borrow it. As we read through these books, Tim and I are seeking where God wants us to join with Him in ministry at this time in our lives. So please be praying with us about that.

The Yoke of Jesus

shepherdsheart — Thu, 27 May 2010 14:15:39 +0000

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

What is the yoke of Jesus? How does being a Christian make our burdens light? Jesus calls us to love our enemies, forgive those that mistreat us, and to take joy in suffering. How can this yoke be light? Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. Matthew 16:24

Actually, when we make Jesus Lord of our lives, we trade one yoke for another. All through scripture the word yoke is used to describe that which controls or rules over us. In some places God describes an uncaring king as an iron yoke. Before we become Christians we are yoked to sin, darkness, despair, a world without hope.

When we accept Jesus as our Lord, He takes from us the yoke of iron. Instead we accept the yoke of light, the yoke of love. We live in the same world of sin, but we are no longer yoked to it. Now we have eyes that see the light and we are yoked to the Hope of the World. When a new mother must get up every two hours to nurse her young, she is weary in her body, but there is joy in her heart as her babe nurses at her breast. It is a burden. But the burden is light, for she carries it with love, hope and joy.

The yoke of Christ that we are invited to share is one of being in the light, understanding of Christ’s love, sharing in the hope and joy of salvation. It is one of carrying the burdens of others as though we were nursing our own new babe. The burden of Christ is light.

On the Brink

shepherdsheart — Fri, 07 May 2010 13:38:21 +0000

2010/05/07

The stock market’s “actions” yesterday is one more example of how close we are to word disaster. Suppose that mistake happened just before closing bell. What would the world look like this morning? Yesterday I was discussing the bee situation with someone. Do you pray for honeybees?

You should. Honeybees are dying. If we lose them we will have a world famine. We are on the brink of world famine just on the loss of honeybees. Yesterday’s stock market mistake could have caused world wide financial disaster. We are teetering on the brink folks. ON THE BRINK! And only about 100 people showed up at the Capitol steps for National Day of Prayer. I don’t care if people thought it was canceled. That is MORE reason why they should have showed up to pray!

Ash Wednesday 02/17/2010

shepherdsheart — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:04:17 +0000

In the shower yesterday I asked God what I should study during Lent because I had not yet picked out a devotional. “Romans” was the quick answer. So Romans it is. Last night I awoke and as I turned to look at the clock I realized God was speaking to me. 1:11 it said. And God said, “Read Romans, 1:11″ Here it is:

“For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you–” Romans 1:11

I think it has been too long since I spent “face time” with God. Am determined to change that during Lent. My plan is to read Romans every day of Lent and to concentrate study on what ever chapters that God seems to be leading me towards. I will spend more time in prayer and less time on television, computer games and other such activities.

On Raising Children

shepherdsheart — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 17:09:39 +0000

In 1973 shortly after I received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit I was deep in prayer when God said to me, “You need to stop thinking of yourself as the mother of your children and think of yourself as their governess.” “What,” I exclaimed. “But I AM their mother, they are my children.” “No,” God said, “They are MY children. I love them much more than you do. Right now if I came to rapture you from the world, you would take your eyes off of me and look back to them, and yell at me ‘Do you have my children, God?’ You need to understand that they are MY children and MY responsibility. Your responsibility is to keep your eyes on me and to be obedient to me. There are no grandchildren of God, only sons of God. Each of them will have to develop their own relationship with me. You cannot make that happen. You must trust me. You cannot become preoccupied with raising them so that you take your eyes off of me, lest you make a God of them. I want to be first in your life.”

This was a hard truth. But I knew that it was the truth. I had elevated my role of mother above my role of “son of God” for we are all called to be sons of God. The Bible doesn’t even call us daughters of God. I spent more time being concerned about how I was doing as a mother than I did working on my relationship with God. In fact mothering had become an excuse not to spend time with God in prayer and meditation. I was too busy to give God more than “on the fly” prayers and conversation. If I were to grow with God I had to make Him number one in my life, not my children. I had to trust that He would take care of them.

I would go to Him often as they grew, worried that I had failed even to be a good governess, that I had not followed His example or direction, and had failed them. He would always remind me that He is the redeemer. He would point out that He was a perfect parent, yet Adam and Eve both rebelled against His authority. He created us with free will so that we could come to love Him. The catechism says that He created us to Know Him, Love Him, and Serve Him. We have to know Him before we love Him. We don’t know Him because our parents do. We know Him because we search for Him. Many who search, look in wrong places first, but if they keep searching find Him. God put a God shaped vacuum in our hearts. Nothing else will fill it. Those who have the greatest hunger for Him may try to fill it with many wrong-fitting things. But nothing else will satisfy. Not being satisfied and still thirsting, we still seek. Eventually we find and drink deeply of the knowledge of Him and His love. This is the process that the sons of God go through.

There is a scripture in Isaiah 54 that God has given to me four times. First in 1973, what seemed most important to me at that time was verse 13, “All your sons will be taught by the Lord, and great will be your children’s peace.” In 1980 when I was facing divorce, vs. 4-5 were the verses that I clung to in hope. “Do not be afraid, you will not suffer shame. Do not fear disgrace, you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood. For your Maker is your husband the Lord Almighty is his name—the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth.” In 1985 when I was grieving after a miscarriage, God turned my attention to vs.2. “Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.” He promised He would give me more children. And Tim and I did adopt three more children. Again in 2001, when I was in a court battle with social services over Sean, the court ordered psychologist that I went to see spoke vs.15-17 over me. “If anyone does attack you, it will not be my doing; whoever attacks you will surrender to you. See it is I, who created the blacksmith who fans the coals into flame and forges a weapon fit for its work. And it is I who have created the destroyer to work havoc; no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me.” And God did win that battle for me, too.

When we are with our children everyday we often do not notice how they are growing. Then a friend or relative comes by and comments about how tall they have become and we see them through different eyes. Spiritual growth can be slow too. Or it can happen in great overnight spurts. In the end though, it is not our responsibility but the Father’s to see that His children “find” Him. I believe that He directs our paths so that the road we take can lead to Him. Even Joseph spent time in prison before he would become second only to Pharaoh.

At the time we adopted Richard, he was living in a mental hospital. To meet him we had to go there and talk to the chief of the hospital and some other staff people. It had not been decided if we would adopt him yet, as meeting him is one step in the decision making process.

The chief doctor sat across his desk from us and told us not to adopt Richard because he would grow up to be a rapist or murderer. I looked at him shocked and asked, “Are you telling me that there is no hope for a six year old boy?” “Yes,” he said, “ If you don’t get them before they are three you can’t make a difference in their life.” I shook my head and said, “You just convinced me to adopt him. I serve a God of hope. Where there is life there is hope. I can give him more than all of your pills and medical treatment. I can give him hope.” How dare they write off a life at age six? God has saved people a lot older than that! LIFE HAS HOPE. In God all things are possible. His love covers all our mistakes. He is in the business of redeeming the messes that we make and turning them into saints. Our job is to put Him first in OUR lives, then everything else will fall into place behind us and we don’t have to turn around and look to see if it did. We can believe it will and keep our eyes on Jesus.

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

shepherdsheart — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 17:45:25 +0000

A good friend sent me this picture today. And it ministered to me greatly. Don’t you think it is beautiful? You can order cards by the artist at:

http://ccocardsandprints.myshopify.com/products/tunnel

I haven’t felt a sense of “Place” in the community of God in a long time. I teach but I am not a teacher, I preach but I am not a preacher, though I am devoted to the sheep, I am not a shepherd.

Our marriage has been VERY rocky for a long time and is only now slowly beginning to heal. I have been a wife without a husband. And a mother with an empty nest. I couldn’t have gotten through it without God’s candle in the dark cave, always flickering just ahead of me. There have been times when I thought that the darkness would swallow me. But then the I would catch a glimpse of the light or smell His presence and find peace again in the darkness.

Patrick said to me the other day that I am like God’s bucket sitting in the desert waiting on Him to bring the rains and need me again to carry water. I said that I can remember the rain and give thanks for that. And look to the coming rain and give thanks for that. And in the dryness give thanks for my thirst. For those that thirst will be quenched.

But I do tend to have a problem feeling sorry for myself. I have to work on that. For if God wants the bucket that He created to sit in the desert waiting, then the bucket should not complain. God has not forgotten what HE has created or why He created it. His timing is perfect timing. I was going to say that it is my job not to develop leaks, but even that if I do, I know that God is able to repair what He has created. For He is the redeemer. So whether I am in a desert and need to give thanks for my thirst, or in a dark cave and need to give thanks for the flickering light, I know that God is with me. That is so much more than most people have.

I was thinking earlier that I will make a list of those things I am grateful for. It is a long list. For even when I am depressed my heart can not stop being thankful to God for so very much.