Verbal Regurgitation

Have you ever had someone come up to you and verbally rip you up one side and down the other?  Maybe someone had an issue(s) with you and they kept it penned up for a long period of time and one day they just unleash on you.  I've had this happen more times than I care to admit.  I call it verbal regurgitation.  Verbal regurgitation (my term and my definition) is the time when someone comes up to you and verbally pukes all over you by giving you a piece of their mind (not caring how hurtful or bitter they may be coming across) and when they are done they kind of wipe their mouths off and go, "There, now I feel better."  All along you are standing there, shocked at what just happened with puke (verbal, not literal) dripping off your body.

Unfortunately this happens so often and I find it disheartening because Jesus spoke about the words we speak and how they reveal our true selves.  "But whatever comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person.  For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.  This is what defiles a person..."  I find it interesting that the Bible speaks very clearly about how we are to speak to each other, treat one another and build each other up but we have become so good at doing just the opposite.  I sometimes think, "It's no wonder people aren't flocking to Jesus.  We can't even care for others we call brothers and sisters."

James says wild animals, reptiles and sea creatures can all be tamed by humans, but the tongue cannot be tamed by any human being.  We say what we say because we have no control over that little 20 oz. muscle in our mouths.  Can we use this as an excuse though?  Can we justify the hurtful words and cursing of others simply by saying we have no control over our tongues?  Or by saying, “I have to say what I say (regardless of who I am harming in the process) otherwise I wouldn't be true to who I am.”  The fact remains we are responsible for every word that proceeds from our mouths and we need the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives to keep us from verbally regurgitating on our brothers and sisters.

The Phone Call

Yesterday I was speaking with a man who has mentored me as a pastor and has been a great friend.  I called him because I had some heavy issues on my heart and I wanted to ask him for his insight.  I began to tell him some things that have been happening in my life and what I really felt God was calling me to do in regards to my calling as a pastor.  I assured him God had affirmed my calling to Pastor at Spring Valley Congregational Church.  As I was sharing (probably about 15 minutes) a specific heartfelt concern I waited for his response for about 20 seconds and all I heard was silence.

I said, "Are you there?"

Nothing.

"Hello?  Hello?"

Still nothing.  The line was dead.

I hung up and called him back and I was thinking to myself, "This is really weird.  I am on a landline pouring out my heart and the thing goes dead."  I have been a Pastor here for 5 years and phone has never done that before.

I finally call him back and say, "For some time now a lot of weird things like this have been happening and they are not normal.  I feel like I am in a deep Spiritual battle."

My friend responds, "That's funny, because when you finished talking to me I said, 'Wow, there is really some warfare going on there' and that's exactly when you started asking if I was there."

I am not a person who sees a devil behind every rock or tree but I do believe as believers we are engaged in a Spiritual battle where Satan tries however he can to frustrate us, cause us to question our calling and our standing in Jesus.  There is a difference between being discerning and being paranoid.  I believe (through the confirmation of others) that we are experiencing a warfare and God is calling us to engage, and we will be victorious.  I am now in the midst of praying some very specific prayers for this church because I believe they have long been ignored.  Would you join in praying with me against any kind of demonic activity that may be going on in this body and in my life.  I do count it a joy that we are worthy of this trial before us but I believe God will ultimately be glorified through this and his Body will be strengthened.

Swimming Upstream

I came across this quote today in my morning reading... "According to the Bible, dreams and visions are supposed to be a normal part of Church life, and though God speaks to many people in dreams and visions, He does so even more to His prophets (see Numbers 12:6).  We are to expect a sharp increase in God's use of these visionary experiences."  Jack Deere (The Beginner's Guide to Prophecy).

I am currently preaching a series in church about discovering and using your spiritual gifts for the common good of the Church and for the glory of God.  In doing this series I picked up (again) my copy of Jack Deere's Beginner's Guide to Prophecy because the gift of prophecy intrigues me.  I write this all because I had a dream the other night and I am still trying to determine its meaning for me and my life/ministry.

The Dream
I was swimming in a stream, river or creek and I was swimming along quite nicely (I am not a very good swimmer so it was kind of weird that I was swimming along at a fast pace).  As I was swimming the stream,creek or river met up with another one and I swam around the corner taking the route where I began swimming upstream.  I was met with resistance but continued at the pace I was swimming regardless of the resistance.  The dream ended right then.

I am praying for a clear interpretation and if anyone wants to pray alongside me and ask God to reveal his message I would love to hear from you.

By the way, day two is coming along great with my physical activity and eating changes.  I already feel a lot better and I have more energy.  The Bible reading plan is going well as I read Matthew 13.  This chapter is such an awesome chapter as Jesus talks about the Kingdom of God.  It's a very insightful and I would encourage you to read it.

Wake Up Call

Recently I have been having some eye opening experiences in my life and ministry.  One that has really impacted me most is the letter I received from the medical clinic with the results of my blood work.  Unfortunately what I read was not new news but I believe it was enough to kick me in the butt and start making some changes in my life both physically and spiritually.

At our men's prayer group and Bible study this morning I shared some of my health concerns with the other guys and asked them to pray for me and help me be accountable to making some positive lifestyle changes.  One of the guys even issued a challenge that we all commit to run a 5K together next year.  I actually laughed when he said this because I DON'T RUN.... I don't think I have ever run a mile at one time in my life!  At first I kind of shrugged it off and thought, maybe the other guys will do it but not me.  However the more we talked I decided that I would accept this challenge.  My goal is to get my health back.  I know it won't be easy, but I have a lot to live for.  I serve a church who loves me and my family, I have a beautiful wife who supports me, and I have some of the best kids a man could ever ask for.  I ask that you pray for me and with me as I embark on this journey.

Afterward we also talked about our spiritual health.  In response to agreeing to becoming healthier physically we also agreed it is important to become healthier spiritually so we decided we needed to have spiritual goals as well as physical goals.  Our youth pastor then invited us to join with him (and the youth group) to read a chapter a day from the New Testament.  If we faithfully read a chapter a day we can read through the New Testament in one year.  It's not a lofty goal but a goal nonetheless.

I hope to journal through this time and keep you all updated on what God is doing in my life.  I ask for prayers altogether that I remain faithful to God's call on my life as a husband, father and pastor.  I pray that he would use me mightily to build the kingdom of God for his glory.