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LOST: Financial stress reveals my heart & my plan

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lost

When you are lost, you have become disoriented and are not where you want to be.  But what if you have even lost perspective on where you need to be?  It is easy to get lost financially.  A few wrong turns, and few too hopeful decisions, a few emergencies and we are financially lost.  We are not sure which way to turn and what to do.  We can all get financially lost.

Here is the Big Idea from this week’s message:  Financial stress reveals my heart and my plan.

Financial stress reveals where my heart is with God.  It reveals the strength or weakness of my financial plan and skills.

The prophet Haggai was one of the first to speak up for God to the exiles that returned to Jerusalem.  They had returned with high hopes.  But had had mostly struggles.  Things were a mess in the city.  The surrounding inhabitants were not happy to see them.  And then the weather was not cooperating.  Haggai shows up and wants to help them see what God wants them to see about their “financial stress.”  They needed to see that their hearts were not in on God’s plan to turn Jerusalem and them into a spiritual powerhouse from which He would bless the nations.  In fact they were not even interested.  So God had let their efforts at securing their own lives and interests be not so fruitful.  You can listen to the message   and use the questions below as a guide.

1. What evidence is there that I am lost financially or in danger of getting into a financial mess?

      “Give careful thought to your ways…” Haggai 1:5

2. What do my finances reveal about my relationship with God?  Do my finances reveal a devoted life to Jesus Christ?

“You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little.  What you
brought home, I blew away.  Why?”  declares the Lord Almighty.
“Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with his own house.”    Haggai 1:9

“Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”           Matthew 6:34

“For where you treasure is, there your heart will be also.”     Matt 6:21

 

3. Am I willing to respond to God in repentance?  Am I willing to learn new skills?

“Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the LORD their God and the message of the prophet Haggai, because the LORD their God had sent him.  And the people feared the LORD.”   “I am with you,” declares the LORD.  So the Lord stirred up the spirit of  …the people.  They came and began to work on the house of the LORD Almighty, their God…”            Haggai 1:12, 13, 14

 

praying with Patrick

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cityview-colourcross-resizedOn the weekend 16 of us went out and braved the snow and rain to serve and connect with people on Main Street.  Great adventurers!  Thanks for going out on the street with me.  Besides doing a “green sweep,” we also gave almost 200 people a card that invited them to celebrate St. Patrick’s day with us by praying with Patrick a portion of his famous Breastplate prayer.  I have included the prayer below.

 

I arise today through God’s strength to pilot me:
God’s might to uphold me,
God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s eye to look before me,
God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me,
God’s hand to guard me,
God’s way to lie before me,
God’s shield to protect me,
God’s host to secure me—

  against snares of devils,

  against temptations of vices,

  against inclinations of
     nature,

  against everyone who shall  
    wish me ill, afar and anear,
    alone and in a crowd. 

Christ to protect me today.
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,  Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ where I lie, Christ where I sit, Christ where I arise, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me.  

I arise today through a mighty strength, the
invocation of the Trinity, through belief in the Threeness, through confession of the Oneness towards the Creator.

Salvation is of the Lord.
Salvation is of the Lord.
Salvation is of Christ.
May Thy salvation, O Lord, be ever with us.  AMEN.

 

This prayer is part of the Breastplate of St. Patrick, missionary to Ireland. Born 385 AD in England.  Enslaved in Ireland at age 16.  Escaped but returned to Ireland to proclaim the way of Jesus.  Died March 17, 461.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

 

news of Moses on Vancouver Island

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img_61Our friend Moses Seo was in the news last week with his son after they rushed into a burning building to look for people.  They are both doing fine and fortunately no one was killed in this fire near his home.  Remember to pray for Moses and the ministry among our friends at Tsawout.

creating an environment where dyslexics THRIVE

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Jennifer Steffenhagen has an informative article on the THRIVE program in ONE Vancouver public school.  THRIVE, under the leadership of teacher, Tyson Schoeber, seeks to create a learning environment helpful to those children with a languaged based learning difficulty.  

Steffenhagen’s follow-up post in the Vancouver Sun is full of comments calling on the VSB and other school boards in BC to take an aggresive stance on the implementation of the Orten-Gillingham learning system.

redemptive stories and success

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I am reading the Summer 2008 publication Perspectives on Language and Literacy of The International Dyslexia Association.  This issue is dedicated to stories of people who have struggled with dyslexia and how they grew through the struggle to achieve success.  I love what Michael Ryan has to say about redemptive narratives from D. P. McAdams’ perspective.  I believe both Ryan and McAdam’s observations have implications for how we each meet God through the Gospel narrative and actually become part of the story of Jesus’ kingdom.  Ryan writes:

McAdams is this country’s preeminent researcher in the area of personal narratives.  He believes that personal narratives (the stories we tell about our lives) are critical to our self-image and our ability to function as successful adults.  He has studied the personal narratives of thousands of individuals and found that the most socially minded people in our society share common themes in their personal narratives.  He labels these themes, “the Redemptive Self.”  These stories of redemption are not necessarily religious in nature, but their essential theme involves overcoming a struggle or a tragedy and growing from it.  McAdams asserts that much of these individuals’ successes are due to these redemptive narratives.  In fact, he goes as far as to suggest that part of our success as a nation grows out of the fact that we have, as a group, many redemptive narratives, such as taming the wilderness and overcoming discrimination and segregation.

It seems to me that one of the major tasks of discipleship is to help people retell the story of Jesus and also tell how their intersection with Him has helped them overcome the world.  They now live His-Story.

“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God… This is love for God: to obey his commands.  And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world.  This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.  Who is it that overcomes the world?  Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.”  1 John 5:1,3-5 (NIV)