Missed Busses, Tears, & A God Who Cares

Ellie had gone to swim team practice, Robert was rehearsing with his orchestra, and I was peacefully sitting on our living room sofa, working on Revive Worship stuff, when my ears picked up the jarring sound of moaning and sobbing.  I looked up and outside our living room window, searching for the cry's origin.  I spotted a lone middle schooler across the street, wandering in circles and crying.  

I quickly exited our front door, walked onto our front lawn and called over to him, "What's wrong? Do you need something?  How can I help you?”  

Through his tears, he yelled across the street, ”I missed my bus.  I missed my bus.  I don’t know what to do.”  

"Come on over here," I answered, beckoning with my hand.   

He wiped his tears and started towards me, dodging a passing car as he crossed the street.  

From what I could sort out, after he got close enough to share his story, he had stayed after school for a rehearsal of some sort and ended up missing the Metro bus.  He needed to get home but did not know how and obviously felt completely hopeless at his predicament.  

The air was getting chilly, so I brought him inside our home as I gathered my keys, jacket, and purse to take him where he needed to go.  (He said he lived at the Knight's Inn....not the nicest motel....which also broke my heart....but he asked to be taken to the bus depot downtown so he could take the bus home). 

 If you've read any of my recent blogs, you'll know this is not the first time we've given a middle schooler a ride.  However, this was the first time we've given this particular young man a ride.  Hearing his sobbing was heart-breaking.  Ugh.  Normally I work upstairs in our bedroom, where it's warmer.  I'm thankful the Lord had me down on the first level, right next to the window, so that I'd notice his cry above the steady din of traffic.

This got me thinking: Our beautiful God cared enough about a middle school boy whom He knew would miss his bus, that he'd position me near enough our front window so that I could hear his cry.  Jesus taught us in Matthew 10 that our Father in heaven cares about a sparrow who falls to the ground.  And in the very next breath He explained to His disciples how the Father has numbered the very hairs on each of our heads.  Our Father takes that depth of loving, focused interest in each of us.  Wow!  Hopefully this will encourage you and me yet again how much He truly cares about us.  And He always hears our cry.

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted

    and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”  Psalm 34:18

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care.   And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.  So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”  Matthew 10:29 - 31

Messing Up and God's Power

I hate making mistakes.  And like most people, I have made some “doozies” in my time.  From little ones such as adding too much salt to a cookie recipe to bigger (more costly) ones such as forgetting a music lesson or missing an insurance payment, I just hate making mistakes.  I hate letting people down.  Mistakes humble me.  Mistakes are a constant reminder of how imperfect I am.  

I remember one time playing a rather famous flute solo at the wrong measure in a professional symphony orchestra.  Yeah, that stunk.  Can you imagine the horror of realizing your conductor is trying to flag you down to hopefully get you to fix your mistake mid-flow?  Yikes!  And another time in college when just minutes before entering the stage for a performance, I realized I had forgotten my orchestra music in my dorm room, which required me to run back (up hill) to said dorm in a pair of heels (ugh!) only to end up missing the first movement of that orchestra piece I had just gone to retrieve.  Imagine the surprise of my director as I slunk back onto the stage in between movements.  That was definitely not a highlight of my collegiate music career.

So, recently I made big mistake, bigger than burning a random tray of cookies: I arrived at the wrong time for a worship gig.   Because I had not shown (and was leading worship for the close of the conference), the organizer decided to end the conference early.  Ugh.  I was walking in when everyone was packing up to leave.  Soooo mortifying.

This mistake really messed with me and I just could not shake it.  I felt so stupid.  Our family was hosting some friends for dinner that evening, so I didn’t really have time to process how I felt with the Lord.  I just drove home and started prepping for the dinner.   After dinner was done and our friends had gone, I dove into some soul-numbing Netflix and went to bed.  When I awoke the next morning, I still felt that gnawing humiliation and so I binged on more Netflix.  Finally, I was tired of feeling like junk and decided it was time to speak with the Lord about it.

I lay on my bed and cried out for His help.  “Why am I still feeling so bad, Abba?  Why can’t I shake this?  Ahhh!  Help me!”

I heard Him speak this verse to my spirit, “My power is made perfect in your weakness.”

It was like light exploded in my spirit.  God created us knowing we would screw up.  Before Adam and Eve had ever sinned, from the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8), the Lamb had already been slain.  He planned for redemption before Eve ever took her first bite of the forbidden fruit.  Jesus' atoning death on the cross wasn't the Father's last minute pinch hitting after a bad day in the garden.  He knew Adam and Eve would sin and He already had a plan in place! Come on!

Although my mistake of arriving at the wrong time for a worship gig was not a sin, just a mistake, this scripture promises me that He still chooses to perfect His power in my weakness….from the big to the small.  He knows I'm going to mess up and each time, His power is ready to be perfected.  He pours His power into those moments and somehow, with His beautiful grace, makes all things new.

Hearing this truth washed my soul of its humiliation.  And I lay there on my bed, no longer agonizing about my failure and people’s possible frustration with me, but resting in His love.  Just like that.  It evaporated.  From humiliation to acceptance.  From shame to love.  

Now there are times when it takes me much longer to journey through the mess in my soul. For whatever reason, the process just takes a little longer.  Whether the journey is short or long, His love is what pulls me through into wholeness.  Truly, His grace is sufficient.

Choosing Compassion & Generosity

He was back tonight.  In the middle of stirring the potato and ham soup on the stove, I heard the knock: It was the young teen with the spiky blond dreads, waiting at our door.

“Hi, can I have a ride again?  This time it’s just down the road.”

I hurried to the stairs and yelled up to John, “The young guy’s back.  Needs a ride.  Says it’s closer this time.”

John was upstairs resting a little before dinner was served.  But I heard his, “Okay.” and the rustling of the bed as he climbed out to come downstairs to once again serve this young man.

I invited the young man to come inside out of the icy rain while we waited for John to appear.

And John quickly made his way down the stairs, grabbed his wallet and keys, put on his shoes, and greeted the young man.  No groan.  No complaint.  Just pleasant words and a smile.  And off they went.

This is at least the third, maybe fourth time this young man has stopped by for a ride after he finished playing hoops at the YMCA.  If he plays too long, he misses the bus and then has to walk home, which is a couple mile hike through the city.  Tonight he must have played too long.

My husband often gives people rides.  To serve in an urban church as a car owner, often means we also serve as transportation to and from church….and sometimes to the bus depot….or the doctor, etc.  There have been times I’ve gotten frustrated  by all the persistent asks, but most of the time I’m good.  And I’m reminded that I can spare that $10 bill or the time it takes to take a friend home.  Compassion.  Generosity.  These are lifestyle choices I want my children to emulate.  Not just so they grow to be good people, but because Jesus told us to give when we are asked (and we have it to give).  Being generous is a Kingdom value.  Our King modeled extravagant generosity and compassion, and I should, too.  But generosity and compassion is not always my desire; I don’t wake up imagining how I can bend over backwards for people.  I usually wake up thinking about me and my family.  During this process of being conformed into Christ’s image, compassion and generosity can often feel awkward, irritating, and unnatural. So until that point where I look and smell and sound like Jesus and living this holy life becomes easy (does that ever happen?), I still have to choose to be compassionate and generous.

Now there have been times we’ve had to stop giving when someone began to take advantage of our kindness.  (We are not an ATM…) And we always try and direct people to ministries that can help people in ways our family budget is not equipped to help them.

Years ago, I remember my husband John teaching on the three areas of giving in the Old Testament: Tithes, Offerings, and Alms.  I grew up with a healthy understanding of the tithe (giving 10% of our income to the Lord) and offerings (above and beyond the 10%, i.e. giving to missions, other ministry projects, hurricane relief, etc.).  However, it was in that message  I learned how giving alms [to the poor] was a command of scripture to the Hebrews.  Giving to the poor was not optional, it was a command that allowed the poor to be helped and served in their communities.   Giving to the poor without a begrudging heart allows the Lord to bless us in all our work and in everything we put our hand to (Deut. 15).  Eye-opening to say the least!

In fact, in Ezekiel 16, the city of Sodom brought judgment upon itself partially because of ignoring the poor and needy.  In Acts 10,  Cornelius’s prayers and gifts to the poor ascended before the throne of God as a memorial offering.  A gentile’s consistent generosity and fervent prayers caught Yahweh’s attention to the point that he sent Peter, a Jewish believer, to share the gospel to Cornelius and his entire family.  Generosity and compassion weigh heavily before the Lord.

I’m still learning.  Still growing.  And my attitude in the moment does not always reveal the kindness of God.  Here’s a prayer I pray almost every morning with my kids as I drive them to school, “Help us, Lord, to love as You love, see people as You see people, and serve them as You would serve them.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.”

Hold on, let me grab my keys….

Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord,

    and he will reward them for what they have done.  Proverbs 19:17

How Great is Our God Rock: How I Stumbled into Multicultural Worship

My peeps and I leading worship at an InterVarsity conference in October 2018

Sometimes we experience moments in our lives that prove to be watershed moments, but occur without much fanfare when they’re actually happening.  The one I’m thinking about this morning was a music rehearsal back in September of 2011.

At the time, I was part of a worship team that was a mixture of people from First Presbyterian Church in Paw Paw and a group my husband and I had taken on a mission trip to Poland. 

Through an organization called Transformation Michigan, I had gotten connected to a local pastor named Valarie Cunningham and her church Greater Faith Empowerment Center.  We were both mobilizing people to attend TheCall Detroit in our spheres of influence.

Upon meeting me, Valarie invited my worship team to combine with her church’s team and lead worship at a youth meeting she was feeling led to host.  She had never heard us play or sing, but somehow knew this combination of musicians and singers would work.  No big deal, right?  Well.....my worship team was 100% white and her worship team was a 100% black.

I will always remember that first rehearsal with our combined teams.  Like any good (white) worship leader, I had brought a pile of chord charts so that every person on the team could have their own set.  And like any good (black) worship leader, my friend Tammi from GFEC brought no chord charts because songs were listened to, aurally studied, and even memorized in advance before the team ever met.  Song sheets were not necessary for their rehearsals.

I will always remember the incredulous look on Tammi’s face when I brought in that pile of chord charts and spread it out on the front row of chairs.  It was probably akin to the feeling of a Slovakian looking at a pair of chopsticks for the first time, "Uhhhh....I'm supposed to eat using those??"  

Thankfully, Tammi was able to locate a few sheets of paper with lyrics on them for the new songs we were learning.  And quite honestly, any bit of paper in that moment gave me the same level of comfort that my children’s beloved blankies would bring to them in a new place.

During the rehearsal, Tammi told us we were doing the song “How Great is Our God Rock.”  Somehow I missed that last word - “rock.”  I was confident in my experience with the Chris Tomlin version of this worship classic.  As soon as Tammi’s team began to sing and play the rhythms and sing the harmonies of the “rock” version, I remember thinking, “Toto, you’re not in Kansas anymore.”  Their version had come from an African American worship leader named Todd Galberth - and it was waaaaay faster and had been infused with gospel rhythms and harmonies.

So, I recognized most of the words, but the tempo and feel were completely different.  I remember hyper-concentrating to be able to clap (on the 2 and 4 of course) while learning the new vocal rhythms and harmonies.  My only goal in that moment was to try and musically keep up with my new friends.  Well, and to not look stupid.  (Confession…)

I remember how Phil (keyboardist for GFEC) was playing with no song charts, so my keyboardist Jared and guitarist Adam were looking over Phil's shoulders to try and discern which chords Phil was playing.  And let it be known that those chords were not simple 3 note triads.  His were beautiful and colorful 9th, 11tth, and 13th chords.  It was a learning experience for all of us!

But we all persevered and laughed a lot.  The GFEC team learned some of our songs and we learned some of theirs.

Jesus Loves Kzoo OneWorship team @ Haven Church May 2014

Just a couple of weeks later, we led worship together for that youth meeting.  We had a mixture of youth and adults from a variety of churches who attended.  My pastor’s teenage daughter Hanna was present.  She has the incredible ability to see into the unseen realm with her physical eyes.  In the Bible, people with her gift are called “seers.”  (Think Samuel, Ezekiel, Isaiah, etc.)  I asked her afterwards what she had seen as we were worshiping together.  She said that as we were singing the song “Let it Rain” she saw it literally raining on the people in that sanctuary.  She had never seen that manifestation of God’s glory before.

In the Bible, over and over again, rain is symbolic of God’s blessing.  How amazing that the Lord showered us with His blessing as we forged a new path of unity with a white worship team and a black worship team coming together to worship.  Little did we know at the time how significant that connection was.  It was soon after that that seven area churches gathered together to hold a pre-TheCall Detroit worship and prayer event.  And it was just a few months after TheCall Detroit, in February of 2012, that we held the first 24 hour Greater Kalamazoo Prayer Push at Greater Faith Empowerment Center.  In fact, our two worship teams combined again in the fall of 2012 for a regional multicultural women’s conference.  What an explosive weekend!  (I remember ending up laid out on the floor while leading worship.  Powerful presence of the Lord!)

Here are some things I learned early on as I explored the uncharted waters of multicultural worship:

• Jesus created us to be one.  Unity is His purpose and design for His body.  (Psalm 133, John 17)  Be encouraged: He empowers those that pursue His vision.

• Blessed are the flexible for they shall not break!  It’s important to be willing to try new styles, genres, and songs.  Don’t disqualify yourself from exploring different genres of music because of the amount of melanin in your skin.  The Body of Christ offers a richness in musical styles and it would be a sad thing to ignore certain genres because we feel “too white” or “too black” to do a style justice.  Here’s a quote from J.S. Bach that has undergirded my thinking for over 20 years, “The aim and final end of all music is none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul.”  Does the music glorify God?  Does it refresh your soul?  Then, go for it!  Learn new songs, study new styles, and explore new rhythms and harmonies.

• It’s okay to look a little foolish.  Growth happens when we choose to try something new.  It makes it really hard to grow if we’re always worried about what others are thinking about us.  This desire to look “cool” is rooted in the fear of wo/man and will always stunt our spiritual and musical growth.

• Leave ego at the door.  The pursuit of oneness in Christ requires us to put others first.  We need to be wiling to not always lead, but sometimes serve in anonymity.   “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”  (James 4:6b) In our pursuit of unity, we need as much grace as the Lord will give us.  It’s important to remember that humility is the key to receiving His grace for the journey.

• Laugh.  A lot.  We need to be able to laugh on the journey!  And sometimes it means laughing at ourselves as we’re trying new things.  “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”  Proverbs 17:22  In our pursuit of trying new things, joy is the balm that will help us navigate these new, challenging trails.

In January of 2019, my friends and I are launching the Revive Worship Collective, a prophetic, multicultural worship school that was birthed out of the our Revive Worship Initiative  conferences.  It’s interesting to think that three of our RWC faculty were in that first watershed rehearsal back in September of 2011.  And it’s interesting to see how we’ve all grown and developed as worship leaders and musicians who have served as bridges in the worship world in our region over the last seven years.

Was I imagining a multicultural worship school when I walked into that first rehearsal?  Nope, not at all.  I was excited to merge our two musical cultures and worship our beautiful King in unity.  That simple “yes” set a trajectory from which we are still reaping the fruit.  I wonder what “yes” He is inviting us into today….  To God be the glory!

To find out more about the Revive Worship Collective, check out our website: www.reviveworship.info.  

“Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”  Philippians 2:1 - 4

Confession

Confession 

I just learned tonight how confession is sacred.  

Last night, my family was playing cards.  We had come to a point in the game during which I announced that “Your daddy is an honest man.”  I must have been defending some play he had made.  Anyway, the moment I said those words, I felt the burning conviction of the Holy Spirit hit my spirit.  And in that moment, I realized that I had not been honest and was hiding a secret from my husband.  In short, without divulging too much, I had created a financial mess and was trying to privately clean it up.  Well, in that moment, the Holy Spirit gripped my heart and I knew that I could hide my sin no more.  Ugh.

So, I went to bed mulling over this conviction in my heart.  I knew I needed to confess, but I also knew my husband had had a challenging week - one of his business clients had been hit with cyber terrorism (which John was trying to figure out how to retrieve many terabytes of encrypted files without have to pay the ransom)….all while fighting through a terrible cold.  In my mind, this was not the best time to confess my sin.

I went to bed and awoke early in the morning from an extremely convicting dream that showed the impact of the lie upon my soul.  Wow.  It’s amazing how God can get our attention when He needs to.

So, there I was at 5AM, having awoken from a startling dream revealing the infection of my soul, still trying to figure out how and when to confess.  On top of it all, I knew I was leading worship in just a few hours and I did not want to bring my sin with me.  Bring my brokenness? Yes.  God’s power is perfected in my weakness.  But my unrepented sin?  No.  God is loving, forgiving, and holy.  I have always treated the worship pulpit with great respect and in no way did I want to knowingly bring my worship to the Lord while still clinging to an unrepented sin.

I lay in my bed, praying and confessing my sin to God and made a commitment before heaven that later that day I would confess what I had been hiding to my husband.  And I did.

The thing about confession, is that it makes us feel so exposed.  And it reveals another level of the fear of wo/man in our lives.  Did I really think my husband would love me any less?  No.  But I was trying to avoid him thinking less of me.

What was John's response when I finally went to him and confessed my sin?  Kindness.  Forgiveness.  Grace.  Advice.  And love.

And what was my response?  Relief.  Thankfulness.  Gratitude.  Love.  A feeling of oneness with my husband.  Resolve.  And a few tears.

And what was God’s response to my obedience in confessing my sin to my husband?  I felt His smile and pleasure.  And love.  Always love.

And now I see more than ever that conviction and confession are God’s way of exposing and healing the tares in our souls.  God never exposes to humiliate.  He only exposes to heal.

Confession tears down unholy walls of protection we’ve erected around our pet sins.  And confession becomes a gateway to repentance; a shift of focus from the power of our sin to our powerful Savior who changes our way of thinking.  Confession alone does not bring the change.  Repentance does that.  But confession is a sacred and necessary first step on the journey of restoration.

So there it is, folks.  Just processing the grace I received tonight: a God who loves me enough to remove anything in my life that hinders love.  Amazing grace, how sweet the sound...

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:9

From Unity to Oneness

Yesterday, I was at our annual Jesus Loves Kalamazoo Vision Team retreat.  (These peeps right here^^^.  )We were praying, worshiping, God-dreaming, and asking the Lord to show us how and where to move as a movement in 2019.  We had been talking about how over the last five years, our movement has worked hard to develop a depth to our unity, i.e. to not get stuck in celebrating broad, but shallow unity.   About five years ago, we felt the Lord was challenging us as a movement to deepen our unity by opening our lives to each other.  Not just colleagues in the Kingdom, but figuring out how to live as family with the same Father.

Now, that’s a paradigm shift, right?  The transition from pulpit sharing to double dating as couples.  From strategizing at meetings to vacationing together as families.  Relationships that were friendly, but perhaps shallow.  God had something deeper in store for us.

Jesus was inviting this movement to grow our roots deep into the soil of His love (Eph. 3:17).  We’re learning that we share the same root system:  different trees on the surface, but the same root system connecting all of our trees in His soil.

So, this understanding got me meditating again on the concept of Biblical unity.  Or, as Jesus puts it, “being one.”  Here’s the blog that resulted:

What’s the big deal with unity?

I don’t think unifying around a cause is all that hard to do.  We see it all the time as entertainers come together for a telethon or people send money and resources to areas that were hit hard by natural disasters.  In the book of Genesis, we see negative unity as the people of the earth came together to build a tower to the heavens in rebellion against God.  I think history proves that people can unite behind a cause, whether good or bad, at least temporarily.

In the body of Christ, God has been inspiring His body to come together in unity as well, with events such as OneRace at Stone Mountain, GA (to destroy racism), the Palau Association’s City Fest up in Grand Rapids, or our very own Jesus Loves Kalamazoo’s Catalyst Week.  All are Holy Spirit-inspired causes that bring people together to pray, worship, share the gospel, and love the people of their cities.  All of these things are beautiful, powerful, Biblical, and completely necessary.  

However, I believe God wants us to deepen our unity.  I would suggest that it’s possible to unite for a cause but not live in unity.

Psalm 133

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is

For brothers to dwell together in unity!

It is like the precious oil upon the head,

Coming down upon the beard,

Even Aaron’s beard,

Coming down upon the edge of his robes.

It is like the dew of Hermon

Coming down upon the mountains of Zion;

For there the Lord commanded the blessing—life forever.

In Psalm 133, the Psalmist describes “brethren dwelling together in unity” as akin to anointing oil flowing down the high priest’s robe.  This oil was a specially designed oil, with a recipe given from Yahweh Himself, to set apart Aaron and his sons for priestly service.  The Psalmist goes on to say that “God commands His blessing” when brethren dwell together in unity.  There is something catalytic about unity that captures the attention of our heavenly Father and compels Him to bless us, the level of blessing that causes an arid, desert mountain to experience a life-giving dew.  Profound images to shape our understanding of unity.  

According to my personal study of this passage, some scholars believe that the unity described in this Psalm occurred within the context of the Israelites traveling to Jerusalem to celebrate certain feasts.  Learning this context encouraged me as my friends and I began to gather believers for worship and prayer events back in 2011. 

Then in the New Testament, Jesus takes the concept of unity and redefines it into His own image: 

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”  John 17:20 - 23

Jesus uses His relationship with His Father to define the type of unity He desires to see among His disciples.  Wow!  Think about it.  We’re not just talking about uniting behind a cause, or even living together as a family.  He’s using the Godhead - three persons, one God, to describe the unity He desires to see.  This is completely supernatural.  There is no way humans can come together and create that kind of synergy on our own.  Aaaaaand, this is a unity that causes the world to know that the Father has sent the Son.  So, it’s a unity that serves as a catalyst for harvest.

In Hebrews 1:1 - 3a, the writer makes this beautiful statement, “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.  The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.”  So, when you see the Son, you are seeing the Father.  Although they are different persons, they are the same.  If Jesus did something, then the Father did that very thing through His Son.  Jesus Himself said, “If you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father.”*

So how does this work on a practical level?  

Or is this a promise of what is to come?

When we receive the free gift of salvation,** we receive the promised Holy Spirit as a deposit guaranteeing we belong to Him.  It’s the seal of our redemption.  (2 Cor. 1:22) So, we know that every believer in Jesus shares the same Holy Spirit.  His Spirit marks us, sets us apart, declaring to the seen and unseen realm that we belong to Jesus.  Although on the surface we notice the color of each other’s skin, the shade of our hair, the height or width of our bodies, our gender differences, etc. in the unseen realm, it’s the Holy Spirit that is THE distinguishing mark of a believer.  It is impossible to conceal the fact that we’ve been born again to both demon and angel alike.  

So, it’s Christ in us that unifies us.  We share the same Father.  The same brother.  The same Spirit.

So, why would Jesus have to pray this prayer if His Spirit is all that was needed to cause us to be one?  

We know that Jesus never wasted words. He purposely prayed this prayer in front of His disciples so that they could hear and John could eventually record His words.  So, His language was intentional.

I think perhaps the key to oneness is the phrase “May they also be in us so that the World may believe that you have sent me.”  Is it possible to have the Holy Spirit dwelling in our spirits, but to not be in Jesus?  I would say yes and no.  Theologically, we are seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:6).  Right now, we are seated in Him.  Yet, until we believe and walk in that truth, it’s possible to live a life way below the fullness of all that He has intended for us.  

Likewise, I think it is possible to be born again, but to not be walking fully in Jesus.  Having written all this, I feel like I just entered into some profound theological thought, and I’m not sure my “wader” boots are high enough for these waters.  But, I bring this up because I want us to begin to pray and meditate upon these words.  If Jesus prayed this prayer, surely this level of unity is possible, even before His return.

What does it mean to be in Jesus?

I think of being in Jesus as if He were standing next to me, and I could step into Him.  So, now people can no longer see me, they see Jesus.  However, it’s not that I lose myself by stepping into Him, it’s that my talents, my vocation, my skin, my personality, my body type, my gender, no longer define me. I am still fully me IN Him.  However, it’s who He is that defines me. 

So, it’s not conformity on the outside that brings about unity.  It’s being IN Christ that causes us to be one.  He in me, I in Him.  We’re not all stepping into separate Christs.  We are all stepping into Jesus Christ.  We are choosing to be one with Him and thereby we become one with our brothers and sisters.

So, how does that work out in the practical?  Well, that’s where the rubber hits the road, right?  In no way am I declaring an expertise in being one with my brothers and sisters in Christ.  Judgment still clouds my mind and petty jealousies can tear my soul.  Ugh.  Too much.  (Thank God for grace!)  

Having said all that, I want to share some practical things I’ve learned to do (or am learning to do) as I seek to be one with my brothers and sister in Christ:

• Recognize them as brothers and sisters who share the same Father.
• Refuse to break relationship even when we disagree.
• Forgive often and forgive fully.
• Celebrate when they celebrate.
• Grieve when they grieve.
• Support them, whether through encouraging words, resources, or prayers.
• Challenge them when necessary.
• Love them.
• And if possible, spend time together.

Notice that the things mentioned are not contingent on how others treat me.  These things are 100% contingent on how God has demonstrated His love for us.  In the same way, I can only do these things by being IN Christ.  And even that decision is made possible only by His grace and goodness.

I’m not really sure how to end this blog.  It sure hasn’t ended in my heart.  As the body of Christ we’ve been exploring what it means to do walk in unity and love our city well.  I challenge all of us, including myself, to ask the Lord to grow our roots into His perfect love, knowing that as we allow Him to root us and establish us in His love, He is actually rooting and establishing us together, in Him.

For in Him we live and move and have our being.  (Acts 17:28)

*John 14:5 - 11

5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”

9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. 11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves.

**Romans 10: 9 - 13

“that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”