Fan Into Flame Ministries

It is an odd feeling not having any papers due, readings to complete, tests to study for.  Not as odd as the feeling of having papers due, readings to complete and tests to study for when I began this new adventure.  I had the opportunity to comfort a mid-twenties college student who was lamenting that it took him three and a half years to complete an associate degree with the fact that it is going to take me almost thirty years to complete my bachelors.  Now comes the wait for the grades.  I have two, both of which I am pleased with.  The other three are yet to be determined.  I think that many of my professors are still getting used to the online environment and I know that at least one is a full-time pastor, part-time professor.  This has made grades slow in coming. 

So I am fretting a little of not knowing.  We really hate “not knowing” don’t we.  I know that I treat God this way.  I make choices, plan events, do ministry and I want God to grade it right away.  I want others “in the know” or involved or to whom I am responsible to grade it right away.  Unfortunately then it really becomes about me instead of being about God.  Especially if I get frustrated and irritable about the whole thing.  I want to be able to put my “A” filled report card up on the refrigerator.  This is not the servant’s heart that I am striving for, but it is an all too real part of who I am.  It is a big  reason that I need to start my days with prayer and Scripture, and end my days with prayer and Scripture. It is not about the “grade” it is about trusting God, knowing that he loves me no matter what and following Jesus to the very best of my ability.  This is a course I could never pass, but when the Father looks at me He sees Jesus and that means I get an A+.  Lord help me live out that A+!

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—  he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.”

Romans 3:23-26 NIV

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It is funny that the more that I have to write about, the less time that I have to Blog. This week has brought many milestones into my life from God. It has also been extremely busy and stressful. I guess that the two go hand in hand. I hope to post some more serious information in the next couple of weeks. God bless

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Wow into another awesome week of ministry at the Lewis House.  God is speaking His Kingdom into my life.  He has me wrapped up in Gideon and through Gideon, Abraham, David, Peter, Paul; all men who had God as their focus but at times lost that focus.  Yet still they are remembered as men of great faith.  Still the stories of when they took their eyes off of God and let the locust distract them, stand as lighthouses over a hidden reef warning us of what can happen.  The locust get LOUD.  They get CLOSE.  The smack against your skin and fly into your face.  All in effort to shake our focus.  The more focused you are on God, perhaps the louder they get.  They want your attention and they want my attention.  They want us to lose focus. 

We know that God could speak and they would all vanish.  No distractions, a life of external spiritual peace; but God says “I am going to lead you into the swarm.  Feel them, know them and focus on me”  Suddenly the swarm doesn’t change.  They are still charging at me with reckless abandon.  Yet they fade into an unimportant after thought as “I look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace” (Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus, loosely quoted).

The locust are getting louder.  God whispers, “Are you focused on me”

24 Immediately the father of the child cried out, “I believe; help my unbelief!”  Mark 9:24

Here was a father who was in the middle of the locusts.  He understood what he needed to do, but he needed help to do it.  He was not ashamed to admit his distraction.

Lord I am focused on you, help me not to be distracted!

We have his promise that we will never be tempted beyond what we can bear (I Corinthians 10:13) but that doesn’t mean it will be easy.

  The locust are getting louder, Lord hold my eyes, my heart, my soul on you!

Your word have I treasured in my heart that I might not sin against you.  Psalm 119:11

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When blogging by email it is best to make sure you put the correct address into your address book.  We won’t discuss how long it took me to figure this out (a couple of weeks),how many times I sent a test email (hmmm I wonder where they went???) and how much time I spent scouring the help pages of WordPress to figure out what I was doing wrong (more than I care to think about, but it was some interesting if unhelpful reading…they should put on the very first page about this function:  Make sure the address that you are sending to is correct!).  Well one dilemma solved…time to head home and chill a bit before heading out to BCC to greet and be blessed!

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