Until All Hear, "Follow ye me"

I like to think that I'd like to see
A man, a man, a man who is me,
that does some work, so valiantly.
But I'm afraid that I cannot see
Any kind of fruit bore by my tree.
"No fruit at all," I think despairingly.

But here's the truth, I hope you agree
Things are happening that I cannot see.
Mountains are moving, and so are the seas
The earth is shaking and wobbly
Bonds are loosed and captives set free
Because of the work that is done by me.

Call me vain, it won't hurt my glee.
Call me blind, but I know I can see
That the Mover, the Shaker, the Worshipee,
The Looser, the Maker, the King of Kings
Is doing the work behind the scenes-
Not us who are likened to naught but a flea
But Him who eternally loves thou and thee

Hunting down the one

Most of us has heard the story of the Prodigal Son. A young man takes his inheritance BEFORE his father is dead, runs off to the city and blows all his money, living recklessly. Poor and homeless, and longing to eat what the pigs were eating, he mustered up the courage and withdrew his pride enough to return home to his father. When he does, of course, the father is stricken with glee, rejoices, and puts on a feast for his son who once was lost but now is found. Likewise, our Father in heaven rejoices over any person who was dead but now is alive, who was lost and now is found.

Before this story lay two related stories. The lost sheep, where Jesus explains that if you have a hundred sheep and one goes astray, you leave the 99 to find the lost one; and the lost coin, where Jesus explains that if a woman who only has ten coins loses one of them, she searches and searches until she finds the lost coin. Each of these stories conclude with rejoicing.

My additional thought is this: maybe Jesus isn't only saying that each individual person is allowed to choose, as I've always thought, but that 99 coins isn't a whole number. 100 is. 99 sheep isn't a whole number. 100 is. The people of God aren't a whole people without you, or you, or you. Each story ends in rejoicing. Each person's coming into the arms of God is grounds for reckless celebration!

Peace to all of you who read this, all three of you,
James Lowell

PS: Don't forget about the real, everlasting celebration that is nigh on the horizon! 

If you haven't seen me in a while, this is more or less what I look like. (The tissue box is there because I had a cold, not because I'm because I'm a hyper-emotional person)

Padre

For years I've heard people talk about God as Father. It never quite made sense. For years I've heard people say that they've heard people talk about God as Father and it didn't make sense to them. THOSE people didn't make sense to me. I was somewhere in between; I believed he was Father, but I didn't really get it and even superficially doubted it at times.

Finally, it hit me a while back. On a Father's Day sermon years ago, Chris Whitler said that a father's job was similar to a miner - to bring out of a child what he or she is good at. His father found he was good at drums, so he supported Chris and taught him the drums. Chris now is seeing that his oldest son has taken an interest in film-making, and so has encouraged him to go with it and make short films at home.

God, our Father, knows what we're good at because HE made us to be good at those things! We complain about what we're bad at (I'm an awful singer!) and suppress what we're good at (I'm good at writing). But the adventure of the journey of walking with God is littered with refinings and affirmations. He does not leave us out here to dry, but constantly affirms us through others, through the Word, and through his Holy Spirit speaking to us. Not only this, but he also has given us deep desires and abilities to do exactly what he's called us to do.

Alongside this, God protects us, provides for us, and fulfills his promises. That's something that is so essential - fulfilling promises. God promised a Messiah and he fulfilled that promise through Jesus. He's promised a wedding feast where we are invited - as the Bride of Christ!  A wedding feast that is an everlasting celebration of God and Man being fully reconciled. And from now until that time, he affirms us and never abandons us.

Yes, God is our Dad.

Check this out!

YWAM Turner Valley is getting back into the networking world!

I'm leading this offensive, and so I'm trying to get our name out there more.

SO, check us out at the following sites, whichever ones you're on!

Facebook, Vimeo, Our Website, Twitter, Blogspot, and Vimeo.

The Man

What does a man do?
A man does what he has to. A man acts with humility. A man is a passionate being, driven both by reason and by necessity.

Jesus was THE MAN.

Give and Take

Giving and taking - it's a cycle. Trees give us oxygen, we give them carbon dioxide. Flowers give bees nectar, bees spread their pollen. Shrubs known as acacias give ants food and and homes, and in return the ants weed out the neighboring plants who are vying for sunlight and attack insects who would eat the acacia, even attacking mammals who pose a threat to the shrub.

In the same way, we give and we take. We work and provide others with products or services and then in life we require their products and services. But what I'm talking about now is something spiritual. We take from God. We accept that he created us in his image and adopted us as his children, despite our rejection of him. Since before the fall of man he adopted us to be holy and blameless (Eph. 1:4). In all this we see that God is give-give-giving. Grace is a great example; he gives to all who ask for it and, oftentimes, to those who don't.

God has given to me. He's saved me from death and promised me eternal life. In between, he's conforming me to the likeness of his Son (Rom 8:29). If you want tangible examples of his generosity, he allowed me to be born in a Christian home, gave me a great church with LOVING people, led me to do a Discipleship Training School in the Sierra Mountains, and led me to do a School of Biblical Studies in Canada; not to mention all my possessions, support of prayer and finances, and even the fact that all my close family is still living.  So what do I do with all this!? When do I stop taking and start giving? 

Though you never stop receiving, we all come to a place where we must start giving. Now I'm not saying that I won't do any more schools, go to college, or accept things from people. But there is a great need for me to step out and start giving more of my money, time, and - well - myself. It was in response to the longing in me to pour out all I've graciously been given that I've decided to staff the Discipleship Training School at YWAM (Youth With A Mission) Turner Valley. I'm excited to disciple other young people and help lead them on outreach.

So that's how I got where I am - I saw that I was taking a lot and felt the need to give. I need to give more of myself in other areas as well, and I'd encourage others to look for ways to give. Giving is love. So don't ever stop receiving from God and from others, but don't stop giving. As my friend Tim explained, a lake with an outlet is a healthy one. A lake with no outlet becomes stagnant.

Peace