-/\/\-----------------------------------------------------------------
\ / HEARTLIGHT(R) Magazine -- http://www.heartlight.org/
--\/------------------------------------------------------------------
March 22, 2009
|-- This Week's Bestsellers at ChristianBook.com: ---------|
Find the bestselling Christian books at Christianbook.com.
Updated every week! Just click the links below:
Bestsellers: http://ads.heartlight.org/email/168/
Just Added: http://ads.heartlight.org/email/169/
Christianbook.com: http://ads.heartlight.org/email/170/
|------------------------------------------------------------|
=========================== TODAY'S ARTICLE ==========================
Time for Some Faith Tracking, by Ron Rose
Preparation
I have a widget on my computer that allows me to track airline flights.
That way if I know what flight Lyn is working I can see where she is.
Amazing, isn't it? This tracking concept has captured my attention.
In the last few weeks I have noticed more and more people tracking the
Stock Market. They are taking the time each day to check on where the
Dow Jones Average is, or the value of stock on their watch list, or
stock held in their 401(k). Since before the first of the year, the
Stock Market track has been headed down and the problem is no one knows
where it will stop; there is uncertainty about the bottom. So, everyday
is filled with fear.
During the presidential campaigns we heard a lot about tracking polls.
These polls reflected the candidates' favorability rating from one week
to the next, or even day to day. Now that we have selected a president,
there is a tracking poll that provides an approval rating from week to
week. It seems wherever you turn someone is tracking something.
Have you considered doing some "Faith" tracking?
The process of tracking your faith requires a starting place and a
destination. And, neither of those points are really places. You might
associate the starting point of your faith with a place or a day or an
experience, but the place isn't the marker; it's the moment of personal
connection to God, the moment of new life, of new direction, of new
birth.
The destination of faith is certainly not a place, not even Heaven. It
is a transformed awareness of life seen and lived through the spirit
and power of Jesus. We see what he sees, feel what he feels, do what he
does. He is found living in us. That's the end game.
Paul says that our "hope of glory" comes from one thing, "Jesus in us."
Remember, genuine faith can be tested, "do you see Jesus in you?" Yes!
You pass the test. Now, will you go through trials? Yes! Through pain
and testing? Yes! Will you have mountain-top moments that thrill your
soul and lift your spirit? Yes! Will you go through the valley and the
shadow of death? Yes! All of these experiences will lead you to the
awareness of Jesus in you. They track your faith.
Whether you are in the middle of good times or bad, the emergence of
faith is based on your awareness of Jesus in life. Your vision, or
calling, or ministry has one direction, one destination. Do you see
Jesus in the moment, in your attitude, in the faces of your fellow
believers? Each step brings you new opportunities to do just that.
Inspiration
When you're in pain, it's tough to think of anything but your pain.
Decades ago I was on staff in a Southern California church. My ministry
areas included oversight of the education and youth programs. Lyn and I
were in our fourth year when, out of the blue, I was called into an
unscheduled Thursday evening meeting with our church Board.
The chairman didn't waste any time. After a perfunctory prayer he read
a carefully scripted letter that asked for my resignation. I was
stunned nearly speechless. On the surface there was no case, but
beneath the surface was one deacon's complaint about my perceived lack
of attention to his struggling daughter. To this day, I can't remember
the words of the letter, but I can still feel the pain in my gut. After
a period of heated discussion the Board agreed to modify the 30-day
severance. I was to be paid till I found a new position.
As I walked out of that room, I felt betrayed, abandoned,
misunderstood, embarrassed, powerless, and a concoction of other
emotions that I didn't have words to describe. How could I tell my wife
about this? I wanted to escape, to disappear.
I drove around trying to come up with a plan. My best plan? "Just wait
till tomorrow, maybe Jesus will come tomorrow and I'll never have to
tell anyone."
Look for God to show up!
Once I was sure Lyn would be asleep, I pulled into the driveway and
parked the car. I prayed, "God make it go away. Make it all a dream." I
quietly entered the house, tip-toed into the bedroom and gently crawled
into bed hoping for sleep. "How was the meeting?" Lyn whispered. "Just
a meeting," I replied, but my silent tears spoke louder than my words.
She sat up in bed and replied, "No, something's wrong. What is it?" "I
don't want to talk about it now. Wait till morning," "No, let's talk
now!"
There was nothing left to do, my plan had failed. In fact, it looked to
me like my whole life was a failure. "They fired me tonight. We are
supposed to announce it Sunday and say that I resigned."
After an hour of reliving the meeting, Lyn asked, "Why didn't you want
to tell me this?" "I want to be a success in your eyes. I want you to
be proud of me. I didn't want you to think of me as a failure."
Then she said something that became the beginning point of a changed
perspective. "When we got married we promised to love each other for
better or for worse, when you refuse to tell me about this kind of
pain, you are refusing my love. I want to love you now more than ever.
I want to share this pain. Do you understand that?"
Within a month or two we found another church and a better house and
continued ministry opportunities with that Southern California church
in spite of being fired. In more ways than one, we were all shaped by
that night.
Motivation
Now, when you face difficult times, painful experiences, and those
out-of-control moments, talk about it. Talk to a spouse, a friend, a
mentor. Share the pain and then ask God to help you step back and look
for Jesus.
When the news from the tracking poll is negative and frightening, look
for God to show up, not to fix the moment, but to help you look past
the eyes, behind the words, and beyond the fear.
Jesus has a plan for the pain; his plan is for people to see his power
in your life. After all, he is still alive!
---------
(c) 2009 FaithFitness and Ron Rose <ron@faithteam.org>.
RELATED LINKS:
* Coaches Invest in People
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200806/20080614_coachesinvest.html
* Get Out of the Car!
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200603/20060322_getoutofthecar.html
* Pointless?
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200611/20061109_pointless.html
* Faith Team
http://www.faithteam.org
This article can be found on the web at:
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200903/20090322_faithtracking.html
=========================== FEATURED PRODUCT =========================
THE END OF REASON: A RESPONSE TO THE NEW ATHEISTS, by Ravi Zacharias
Zacharias cuts to the core of the atheist problem and presents a case
for truth resolving itself in a presentation of God in the person of
Jesus Christ as the intelligence behind the universe, and the end (the
culmination, not the cessation) of reason.
http://shopping.heartlight.org/cgi-shl/link?256
Find more great books, CDs and videos at the Heartlight store! With
each purchase you make, you're helping to support Heartlight's
ministry. Thanks SO MUCH for your help!
HEARTLIGHT DAILY EMAIL /\/\
===============================================================\ /===
http://www.heartlight.org/ \/
Visit HEARTLIGHT on the web for even more articles, plus music,
devotionals and more for your Christian walk!
ABOUT HEARTLIGHT:
Heartlight, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) religious non-profit organization.
Donations are welcome and tax-deductible! Find out how to help!
http://www.heartlight.org/support
EDITOR: Phil Ware, phil@heartlight.org
HOW DO I SUBSCRIBE?
It's FREE! To subscribe send a blank email to:
join-heartlight@maillists.heartlight.org
HOW DO I LEAVE?
To unsubscribe send a blank email to:
heartlight-unsub@maillists.heartlight.org
STILL HAVING TROUBLE?
If our automated unsubscribe system isn't working for you,
send an email to mailmaster@heartlight.org and let us know
what list you would like to leave. We'll take care of you.
======================================================================
