No solo flying

We were created for fellowship. Fellowship with God and with each other. Yet, too often we find ourselves pulling away from other believers. Sometimes through hurt, fear, offense, or any number of reasons. No matter what we decide to name it, it's always sin that separates. You know how God sometimes breaks through the thick layer of skull that keeps us from hearing and all becomes clear? How the fog sometimes lifts, almost miraculously and we see and hear what we should have seen and heard all along? Well that happened to me today. I woke about 6 am with a burden (and desire) to pray for some friends and loved ones...and during the course of all that praying I found myself asking for fresh eyes. Asking that no matter the pain or humiliation, that I would see and hear exactly what He wanted me to see and hear. He answered by sending me brothers and sisters to encourage me in the walk. I prayed for one particular brother today, one I don't get to see very often these days and the guy showed up at church this morning (he usually attends somewhere else and just stopped in for a visit and to worship with us). I was overjoyed when I saw his face because he is one of those guys that always refreshes my spirit. We talked before church about how believers should long to be with one another and should always forgive and desire fellowship with one another. Then Bryan brought the message and it was exactly what we were talking about before the service. Confirmation! Between this brother, the worship team, Bryan's message, my family, and many other brothers and sisters I saw today, God has filled my cup and so much of the frustration and doubt that has plagued me for quite some time now just lifted.

We need each other. That's the understatement of the year. Daily living in community requires humility, forgiveness and grace. Not once in a while but every day..every moment of every day.

"I pray that they may be one" Jesus

Through this busy season make sure you take the time to really look into your fellow believer's eyes and give them that word of encouragement or love that you know you should give. And let others do the same for you. This pilgrimage we are on is tough, gritty business and we need each other desperately.

And remember...."Love covers a multitude of sins."

grace and peace,

Barry

Altars and promises

Today marks the anniversary of Keith Green's journey HOME. He left a year before I became a christian and yet he impacted my life in a profound way. My lovely and insightful wife knew I would relate to his music and she turned me on to him in 1983. (thank you dear)

The raw and beautiful way his music draws my heart back to the Savior is a testimony to the anointing on his life. Through his ministry and music I was so stirred to be radical for Christ. I made so many promises and built so many altars back in those early days that I was sure God was tired of my continuing to "pledge" and fail. Yet every time I came back to the altar He was there in all His grace, compassion and power. This pattern has continued through most of my life and yet He holds on to me. He is Faithful!

Keith's song "Grace by Which I Stand" tells my story like no other...

"I know that I would surely fall away except for Grace by which I'm saved".

When I look back on the past 28 years of walking with Christ I am sometimes humbled, sometimes embarrassed, sometimes joyful, and always grateful. I've had enemies mock and rejoice when I fell and I've had deep abiding friendships that stuck with me in all my foolishness and walked with my family through very dark times....and you know what? I'm thankful for BOTH.

By the Grace of God, through Christ and the power of His Spirit I can truly testify that my life today is so full and rich, so filled with God's presence and power, so full of fruit of the ministry He has granted me and Tonya. When I pray I sense His presence and power like no other time in my life. When I lead worship for the amazing people at FBC Greendale I see His hand moving in a powerful way. I see His hand on that congregation in a beautiful way.

He has delivered me in a mighty and powerful way from sins that have plagued my life.

AND I truly believe He has healed me from a life long illness!!!!!

So once again, Keith my friend, I am building an altar to this King of ours and surrendering yet another part of my life to His will and I plan on looking you up when I get there to personally thank you for the fire you placed in my belly for the One we both love so much. Hope you don't mind though if I stop by His throne first for a few thousand years to worship and thank HIM!

Rest in Praise Brother!

Own it and make it right

Owning it and making it right is so vital to our walk with God. We ask for forgiveness when really all we want is for Him to excuse it. We ask forgiveness for ourselves while we refuse it for others. We want our sins excused but theirs dealt with and the longer we withhold our forgiveness the deeper the roots go. It turns to bitterness much quicker than we think, bitterness that takes root, begins to grow and soon enough poisons all those around us. The only remedy is complete and total forgiveness, which is impossible with us but completely possible with God. When we pray for the strength and ability to forgive we can pray with absolute certainty that God will answer (take a look at 1 John 5). There is no question that this is in accord with His will, and if we pray anything according to His will, He hears us, and if He hears us we know that we have what we ask.
I've been praying for this fervently and constantly for quite some time. Persistant prayer, the kind of prayer that sinks its teeth in and refuses to let go, the kind that wrestles with the angel until it gets the blessing it seeks. This is the kind of prayer that defeats the enemy and sets the captive free. And hear me well when I say, If you are holding on to a grudge, refusing forgiveness...you are in bondage. But thanks be to God, He is in the business of setting captives free!!! Let me warn you though, this is no easy road...The enemy does not want you released. He desires to keep you locked in a dungeon of your own self-pity, struggling just to get through the day without an angry thought. And also be warned that if you decide to get down to business you will begin to see things about yourself that you would rather not see. For me it finally came down to staring right into the face of my own ugliness, my own propensity to do the very thing I judge others for. It can be humiliating, gritty, and very unpleasant to see yourself as others see you. I realize my own part in being the source of trouble instead of the remedy. But this is God's grace to us, is it not? He loves us enough to discipline us and hold up the mirror of the Word before our very eyes. The real, down in the dirt truth is we are living in complete and absolute rebellion against Him when we refuse to forgive. When I finally reached the place where I longed for His fellowship and peace more than I longed to be right I was ready to be set free. When the thought of humbling myself seemed a small thing to trade for His presence I was ready. And the payoff is so worth it. Not that our motive should be our own self-interest here. I decided to act on the truth that I am His bondslave and if for no other reason, I needed to do it simply because I am "not my own"..I have been purchased by His blood and my life is His, every small, seemingly insignificant detail is under His Lordship.
God has done a marvelous work in me and the love I have for people who, just a few months ago I wanted to see in pain is His work alone. He is amazing!!!

Who's writing your story???

Working my way through Donald Miller's book "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years", and once again I find myself inspired. He got me to thinking about my life as a story and challenged me to let the true Author do the writing. Man have I messed up so many things through the years. Usually by trying to wrestle the pen from Him and do the writing myself. He brings (or allows) conflict and I respond by writing in anger, resentment, rage and all the rest while He intended to write in love, grace, peace, forgiveness, and the JOY of fellowship with His Spirit. But isn't it so difficult to let someone else do the driving? Difficult to let go of control and admit that you haven't done a very good job being "in charge"? It makes me think of a young man I met a year or so ago who said he believed the church should operate more like a commune and so he was training to be the leader of a commune. Now, I don't know if you are as cynical as I am but that statement made me laugh. What a strange thing to plan your life around...being the leader of a commune. Ironic,for sure. Arrogant. And really really weird. But not much different than my desire to be in control of my story simply because the Author has an irritating way of demanding his character be humble, loving, quiet. So, what do I do? I trust in the character of the Author. Trust in His unconditional love for me, his character. And if I trust, truly trust His Goodness... I YIELD. And yielding means making those phone calls, praying for those He prompted me to pray for, holding my tongue for His glory (people like Billy Graham use their tongues for His glory but in my case, holding it brings Him glory..ha) Fill me, mold me, use me,all for YOU. Write Your story for me, for You know better than I.

Send it away

I just finished listening to a message by Rob Bell on Matthew 6 and particularly what we refer to as "The Lord's Prayer", and once again I am challenged and inspired by his words. And please don't send me messages of warning and doom for listening to him. A couple of main points really stood out in his message; The first being that if we pray, really pray the prayer it has a way of putting everything in perspective. What are my little concerns when compared to the greatness of My Father in Heaven, Who's name is hallowed and Who's Kingdom will come in totality one day? The second and most convicting point to me has to do with this business of forgiving others; ""forgive us as we forgive out debtors".."For if you forgive men for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men, then your heavenly Father will not forgive your transgressions." OUCH! If you have that one figured out completely, please let me in on it..God's love and forgiveness is complete in Christ's finished work on the cross. So then how does He NOT forgive us? Is it more that we cannot walk in the experience of His ongoing forgiveness? Is it that "Jesus people" are forgiving people and if you cannot forgive then perhaps you are not His? Is it that the flow of grace can become stopped up by our unforgiving spirit? So many questions.
What I do know is this; He is pleased with me as His child when I act like my Father. He forgives and so I should forgive. His Spirit is alive and well in me and even when I find it hard to forgive I can step aside and let Him live His life through me.
According to my Greek Key word study Bible the word used here is aphiemi, which means "to send"...or to let go, send away, release etc. We carry offenses and we hold grudges, and man do they get heavy. Our Lord tells us here in Matt 6 how to be free, truly free...send it away, let it go, put down the jawbone. Perhaps today is the day....

The Shelter of His Name

What can I say? this summer has been a little strange. My family and I endured a severe attack from the enemy, lost some "friends" and grew closer together and stronger in our walk with Christ. The beginning of this summer found us facing numbers of lies leveled against us. Vicious, ridiculous lies intended to discredit me and surprisingly enough (well maybe not that surprising really) people we thought were friends believed them without asking us for our side of the story and became part of the gossip chain. Sad to see professing believers find such joy in spreading malicious gossip and slander. I found myself fighting against the fleshly urge to retaliate but in God's grace He strengthened me to wait upon Him to bring the truth out. How marvelous it is to see His hand at work! When faced with the torrent of lies and slander we decided to quietly walk away and put ourselves in the hands of God and there we found the Word come alive in our situation.."The Name of the Lord is a strongtower, the righteous run in and are safe". His Name became a shelter for my wife and I, a place of peace and safety and we can testify wholeheartedly that He is indeed good and He will be the source we need everyday to walk this walk. Have the lies stopped? NO Has the attack ended? Not yet. But in the midst of it all we have a shelter...The Name of the Lord....

The Kingdom breaking in

This summer has dealt a few blows and I am so ready to be done with it. Come quickly Fall!
The enemy attacked swift and hard and he used people I thought were friends to do it. But God is faithful. He has shown up in such a real and living way in our lives and turned a bad situation into something beautiful. Not completely yet, but moving swiftly toward that end. I've spent a lot of time lately just sitting before the Lord, listening, waiting on Him to move me. Where the heck are we going Lord? How long will You wait? I've been feeling the awkwardness of the "already and the not yet" of His Kingdom. The Kingdom by definition is the rule of God in our lives or the reign of God showing up in this evil age. While we believers wait for the return of Christ to bring the Kingdom in all its fullness and glory we are privileged to experience its presence among us if only in small measures and that presence brings healing, peace, joy, righteousness and love to bear in the muck and mire of our daily lives. We feel the pain of betrayal, the sting of loneliness, the ache of physical pain, yet we find, if not completely, at least some sense of His reign granting us victory over the enemy. Jesus proclaimed that the Kingdom of God was at hand and I, for one, want to really, really, really know what that looks like in my life. I see the Kingdom breaking in when a friend shows up just to encourage. I see it breaking in when a "short" breakfast time spent with a local pastor friend turns into 3 hours of lively, deep discussion of the things of God. I see it breaking in when just me and my guitar are accompanied by a very real sense of His presence in my backyard. And I see it breaking in when I look to see my perfect wife standing by my side.
Is the Kingdom of God breaking in on your everyday world? Are you seeking it first? Are you willing to put to the sword all the affections that stand in its way? Nothing in this life compares...