Friday....

Its Friday - I am so looking forward to sleeping tomorrow morning until I wake up and just sleep until my body says - "Hey, Im good now." Not sure what it is lately but I hate the alarm clock. I also am thinking that why do people say - "My alarm clock went off" in the morning when it really is coming on? OK maybe not funny but lets move on shall we?

Its been a busy week. I am still pumped from teaching at LOL on wed night and having so many students there. Some of which are still talking about the message I gave and how it impacted them. I am grateful and thankful for that. The past 2 days I have been on a webinar on leadership and I am writing notes as fast as I can write. God is for sure stretching me as I learn, talk with students, prepare notes for Wed night LOL, Rock Group this Sunday and also just asking God - Lord what shall you have me do today? Give me an opportunity to just in faith - walk across the room and extend a hand, a smile, a voice or a word of comfort for someone. Every day this week He has blown me away. I even had the chance to pray with someone this week who probably has not prayed much in their life and it was awesome seeing the smile afterwards. A seed planted perhaps and another chance soon maybe? I am willing if given the opportunity. So often we are afraid to share our faith. Afraid to say the wrong thing or mess things up or more importantly not have all the answers to questions. Nobody has all the answers, nobody has the perfect marriage, nobody has the perfect child, and nobody has the perfect faith that rocks it out all the time. I want to share 2 Corinthians 11:23-31 today. If you are struggling with leadership or trying to make a decision or just trying to get closer to God in your daily walk. Let me say the Paul does a great job expressing himself here in the scriptures. It shows who he really is and who he belongs to. Far too often we listen to what others say, we obsess what others think of us that we lose what God thinks and has to say about us. Our world needs us, as followers of Christ, to live our life with meaning and purpose, beauty and in need of each other but humble enough to admit it.
2 Corinthians 11:23-31 - Are they servants of Christ? I speak as if insane - I more so in far more labors in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. 5 times I received from the Jews 39 lashes. 3 times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, 3 times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the seam dangers among false brethren. I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst and often without food in cold and exposure. Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches. Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern? I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness. The God and Father of Lord Jesus, He who is blessed forever, know that I am not lying.
Paul really puts it out there doesn't he? All these external things that have taken place in his life, suffering on the outside, pain causing things, but nothing compares to the internal hurt and worry and suffering and daily pressure of his love and concern for the people in the churches. We are the church and in that - he sufferes for us. I think about all the students at church and yes I can relate to that suffering. Just as your lead pastor suffers for all in the church, the youth pastor for all the students in his care and the sold out volunteers serving like crazy because they know that the stakes are high and together they make it happen. Its that care and love that I have in my heart for them to know Jesus, to make good choices, to follow Christ and be the best example for the kingdom that they can be, I hurt when they call me and say mom and dad are fighting again, or dad is drunk, or mom is really on me today, or my teacher doesnt like me, or my boyfriend is pressuring me to do something, or even when they walk away from Christ blaming him for where life has them today. I also praise God for when the lights go off and a student is fired up for Christ! Yes there are sleepless nights for sure. There is shoulders that carry the weight and struggles of so many but its worth it to press through the pain to give them hope, to remind them and not just tell them about the hope they have in Christ. I know that often times Christ breaks a person so that the only place for that person to reach out to is Christ - only then will their life turn around and give them something solid to build their life on. We have to be willing to go through the pain for others to come to know Christ. Connecting people to Christ, connecting people to find and use their spiritual gifts by serving Christ has to be so heavy on your heart - it has to be your spiritual gift to see this happen for others. Are you leaning or are you leading? 12% of the population would be considered leaders. The rest are followers - they are leaners and as a leader - we need to lead the leaders and the rest will follow.
I read this at LOL Wed night after setting the stage from Mark 3 where Jesus heals a mans hand knowing this would cause the religious leaders at this time ammo to have him arrested and eventually killed. He chose to heal this man anyways. I imagine a conversation later that day when all was quiet and everyone was out of the temple and this man sitting with Jesus in a quiet conversation. Jesus maybe asking this man, what his dreams were in life now that he was healed. He had 2 good hands and in this day with labor being the trade and with one bad hand, he probably could not do much in terms of work. So I see this man excited and talking to Jesus about his dreams and then him turning the conversation to ask Jesus about his dreams. Jesus probably saying something like this.
You know, I dream that someday, places of worship will be filled with people who lay awake at night concerned and worried about human beings my father created. Who care about broken bodies and broken souls and hopeless futures and hell bound eternities. I dream of the day when people who gather in my name are so filled with love of the Father that they go out and spread his love and extend healthy hands to withered hands- praying, coaching, and encouraging them to walk in fullness of this life. I dream of worship centers filled with radically loving, outwardly focused, Christ- sharing people. Thats what I dream about.

So I ask you today, What do you dream about? What breaks your heart? Do the people around you keep you up at night because they dont have a relationship with Christ or not living in fullness of life because they "Know of Jesus" but dont really "Know Jesus? Answer those questions ... then you will know what you have to do.

Talk next week everyone! Love you all and grateful for those in my life that I get to share the love of Jesus with. You are in my life for a reason and blessed to be walking with you.
Lonnie~