ministry – Page 34 – Broken Believers

A Statement of Dedicated Ministry

My calling is sure. My challenge is big. My vision is clear. My desire is strong. My influence is eternal. My impact is critical. My values are solid. My faith is tough. My mission is urgent. My purpose is unmistakable. My direction is forward. My heart is genuine. My strength is supernatural. My reward is promised. And my God is real. ”

“I refuse to be dismayed, disengaged, disgruntled, discouraged, or distracted. Neither will I look back, stand back, fall back, go back or sit back. I do not need applause, flattery, adulation, prestige, stature or veneration. I have no time for business as usual, mediocre standards, small thinking, normal expectations, average results, ordinary ideas, petty disputes or low vision. I will not give up, give in, bail out, lie down, turn over, quit or surrender. I’m dedicated to doing the work of the ministry. God help me.”

There is such a thing as a “Seal of Good Housekeeping” that is given as a mark of approval. As I read the above quotation, I thought of all the men and women that could make this declaration. So many that we could approve of and to put a definitive seal of Kingdom approval on.

I have friends in ministry in Mexico, India, China, Italy, Peru, Kazakhstan, San Francisco and so many other places. They stand boldly and minister lovingly. We must pray for them, all the time. People like you and me who suffer with a mental illness are poor candidates for this level of intense ministry. But we make great prayer warriors!

As we pray, standing in the gap for others, often we will experience a release from our own issues. They just melt away. I focus on you, and I won’t hurt as much. I have to reach out, so God can reach in. This is what Jesus intends for me as His disciple; “in training.”

A Peace That Teaches

“Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God!”

Colossians 3:16-17, The Message

At times, there has to be a forceful unity in us and through us. The idea of “tuning” yourself to someone else is a bit rattling, and even scary. “What if they are confused, or indifferent?” There exists a real fear of combining our hearts with another. It is a special challenge in our culture that stresses individual rights. We think ‘me’ when we should be thinking ‘we.’ We need to fall in step with someone else.

There also exists a need for us to cultivate thankfulness and gracefulness. To be blunt, this is not an easy thing. It is most hard. Cultivation implies so much– long days of work under a hot sun. But, if it works we will take it. For many of us, this could become our very next step in our discipleship.

This passage in Colossians seems to emphasize our real need to let the Word run furiously throughout our lives. I have watched “The Running of the Bulls” in Pamplona. We are being chased. But what I have seen is both beautiful and frightening. The Book of Colossians can be like this. So many challenges, and yet also very wonderful ones.

God’s Word however, is penultimate, it is to be supreme. It simply demands total control of us. We are charged in these verses, to let the Word go crazy in our lives. But it can’t rest stagnant and alone. Rather we are to become belligerent and insistent voices that directs everything to Him. We stand, and then we reflect all of the glory to Jesus.

We learn in these two verses on the need for us to sing. Singing can be something we grind out. A great deal of effort exists before we can really make this take place. But I still don’t think this is what the Apostle Paul has in mind. Music is bound to happen inside our hearts. We are to become saints of praise– singing saints.

Dear one, be a believer that sings. Find your voice, and then lift it up to Him. If you have come to this point, I must believe you have truly understood His exceptional grace to you. But we also need to sing for our brothers. Countless times I have been encouraged by the songs coming from my companions of this amazing journey.

CCM Spotlight on Bob Bennett

“Lord, of the Past”

Bob Bennett makes superb music, which simply brings us into a wonderful place. This song in particular, ignites something inside, and brings us to a side of the cross, that somehow we’ve not yet seen. I really hope you will make room to listen to this, and maybe, just listen to all his songs. You will find him to be concrete.

Enjoy this song, and then, maybe, play it again. Let the lyrics seep deep within. After-all, your heart needs to hear this voice.

From Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Bennett_(singer-songwriter)

Bob Bennett was born on March 21, 1955 in Downey, California. He picked up his first guitar at age nine and formed a rock ‘n’ roll band in high school. In the late seventies he converted to Christianity and his songwriting began to reflect his newfound faith.^[1]

His career was launched with the release of his 1979 folk-style debut recording First Things First. Three years later came Matters of the Heart, a recording Contemporary Christian Music Magazine voted 1982’s “Album of the Year”, ranking it among the top 20 contemporary Christian albums of all time. Soon after the release of his next recording, Non-Fiction, he served as opening act on Amy Grant‘s “Unguarded tour.” Lord of the Past: A Compilation followed, which peaked at 30th position on Billboard magazine’s Top Contemporary Christian chart in 1990.^[2] The album’s title song reached number one on the Christian radio charts in early 1990. This was followed by Bennett’s second number one song: “Yours Alone”.

Later in 1990 Bob joined Michael Card on his The Way of Wisdom tour, performing in front of sold-out audiences across the country. Bob credits his tour with Michael Card as being the only reason he had a career in 1990 and 1991.

Songs from Bright Avenue was released in 1991, a collection of songs he wrote while struggling with the dissolution of his marriage. Bob’s most recent CD is Christmastide, released in 2009. Bob plays a Kevin Ryan guitar.

CCM Spotlight on Kelly Willard

Her music has always blessed. She has a voice of an angel. She was with the Maranatha Singers. Two albums I can vouch for–the first “Blame It On the One I Love.” The other being “Willing Heart.” They are both pretty old though so not sure you can find them.