Category: Faith

Go with the Flow

Posted on by Dorci

We didn’t have much of a chance to talk when I was growing up, but later my dad and I would talk for hours.  We were both thinkers and we’d each spend way too much time in our heads trying to work out our problems.  We also both shared an inclination to write things down.  And when one called the other, all those thoughts that had been swirling around in our heads or maybe even made it onto paper, spilled out into our conversations.

We took turns, comparing notes, collaborating, solving the world’s problems since we couldn’t seem to solve our own.

I knew a little bit about the difficult life he’d had, and he knew a little bit more about mine.  Being my dad, I know he wanted to help me.  I don’t know much more of a helpless feeling than to be a parent who can only stand by and watch a child suffer.

He saw me flailing, struggling, and it was as if he were watching me from shore with no boat and no life raft of his own to share with me.

So he’d call out to me the best advice he could give: “Go with the flow.”

“Yeah, I know.”

But fighting came easier somehow.  It was instinctual.

They say if you’re caught in a riptide, swim with the current, parallel to the shoreline, until you’re safe.  But most people fight the current.  They use all their strength trying to swim back to shore in direct opposition to the powerful and relentless current, and many don’t make it.

Go with the flow.  Accept.  Yield.

Paul the apostle put it like this:

“Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.  I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:11-13 NAS

For God’s sons and daughters, He is that current in our lives.

He blows the winds of circumstances where He will, and to fight them is to fight Him, and no one wins fighting God.

But when we accept the circumstances of our lives as coming from the hand of a loving, all-powerful, all-present and all-knowing Father, we can, with Paul, learn the secret of contentedness, and trust Him to carry us to safety.

It seems to me at this moment a happy coincidence that my dad’s name was Paul, too.

Whether centuries ago or just a couple of decades, truth is truth, and somehow the Lord in His mercy, knowing full well that one day he’d give his heart to Christ, gave my dad what he needed to get through the storms of his life.

I didn’t get it so much when my dad was giving me his advice years ago.  I was younger then and still had the energy and stubbornness to fight.  But I’m getting it a little bit more these days.  God’s patience and many trials have worn me down.   And I’m glad. All that flailing was blocking the voice of God. Now I’m learning to be still and listen.

There are days I wish my dad had lived long enough to be able to read what the other Paul had to say about “going with the flow” in the light of Christ.  To have the chance to take that thought one step further and know that it’s more than just tolerating life’s trials.  That in Christ he could find strength and even joy in the middle of those circumstances, and even grow through them.

Most of the time, though, I rejoice that my dad was able to escape the suffering of this life and receive his reward just five days after he let Christ into his life.

If he were still here, he’d be 76 today and still trying to figure it all out, just like I am.  But he is home now, and he is ageless, living a life more contentedly than he ever imagined.

I wonder if the two Pauls have met yet.  I can just see them, sitting together, comparing notes, but this time without a care in the world.

Happy Birthday, Dad.

Love,

It’s Time To Break Free

Posted on by Dorci

 

My prayer for us this year is that we would come to realize more and more the wholeness we have in Christ.

That we would submit ourselves to His loving grace and become the people we were meant to be in and through and by the Holy Spirit.  That we would let our old selves go, let His healing take place, and live in newness of life.  That we would put away all lies and live in the freedom of truth.  That we would shine with His love and grace and mercy in all we say and do.

We stay in the cocoon much too long for fear of what’s on the outside, when what’s on the outside all along is freedom!

So instead of wishing you a happy new year, because happiness is so fleeting and dependent on our circumstances, I pray for you a joyful new year.

That kind of joy that comes from deep within when our spirit meets His Spirit, and we break free of all encumbrances–all our own sin and fears and entanglements–to shine in the freedom and beauty that is ours in Christ.

Grace and peace,

Invisible Dogs

Posted on by Dorci

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7

There was a period of time I had dreams that a wild pack of dogs was chasing me.  I never saw them, I just heard their snarling, vicious barking and my imagination ran away with thoughts of being torn limb from limb.  I’d be filled with fear and instinctively run for my life.

Night after night this nightmare invaded my dreams until one night when I heard the dogs right behind me and I thought what if I just stand here, turn around and face them?

So I did.

The barking stopped and the dogs were gone.

I never had that dream again. Later I had dreams about bears, but that’s a whole ‘nother story.

Because of a series of events throughout my life, fear is something I’ve always had to deal with.  Even when the initial event is over, that fear can linger like a pack of invisible dogs.  And I haven’t always stood my ground and stared that thing I’m afraid of in the face.  There are times I’ve run.

But the Lord’s shown me that if I keep running from the thing I’m afraid of, fear will always chase me.

We all have invisible dogs–those fears that chase after us–and for some inexplicable reason we automatically turn and run.  They don’t even have to be big things.  Sometimes we run from the little things just because we don’t want to be uncomfortable.

And running from those little things puts in motion deep inside us an undercurrent of fear that we may not even be aware is there.  And then when something big comes along, instead of being able to draw on a foundation of courage, we have none.

Trusting God to be with us in the little things grows our faith big enough to trust Him in the big things.

And there is something big God has entrusted to us.

It’s the reason Paul encourages Timothy (and us) to remember that God does not give a spirit of fear.

“Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God,  who has saved us and called us with a holy calling,”  2 Timothy 1:6

Above anything else, we can’t be afraid to use the spiritual gifts God’s given to each one of us for the good of the kingdom of God—to strengthen our brothers and sisters and to witness to those who are as of yet unsaved.

And sometimes that can be a little scary.  A little uncomfortable.

Paul suffered to share the message of the gospel with people who were dying in their sin.  But he so believed in that message—in Christ—that he was willing to risk being repeatedly imprisoned, flogged, starved, shipwrecked, in constant danger, and finally, beheaded.

I doubt any of us will ever face the trials Paul did, but we will serve Christ at a cost.  Like Paul, we are here on a mission.  We are called to share in the sufferings of Christ, to be a living sacrifice, bold and unashamed, living for His glory, not our comfort.

But oh, the gain.  The souls we’ll encourage, the lives we’ll save, the light we’ll shine, the glory we’ll reveal, the crowns we’ll receive and cast at the feet of our Lord.

If we’re willing to turn around and look fear in the face.

A lot of the time those fears will disappear when we turn to face them.  But if they don’t, if they charge us anyway, at the end of day, it won’t matter.

Paul has long forgotten his suffering.  But he will never forget the joy of serving alongside the King of kings, the glory that’s his in Christ, or the souls that are with him now, all because he was willing to use his gift.

Grace and peace,

To Live is Christ, To Die is Gain

Posted on by Dorci

Yesterday Pastor Chuck Smith, who founded Calvary Chapel, went home to be with the Lord.  If you aren’t familiar with him or Calvary Chapel, I’ll give you a little history. 

Chuck Smith began as a pastor for the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel in the 1950’s. 

In the 60’s, Chuck’s wife, Kay, began to have a burden for the youth who were entering the generation of sex, drugs and rock and roll.  It was long hair, bare feet, tie dye and everything was groovy.  They were in the thick of the Vietnam War, God was dead, and they didn’t trust anybody over 30.

Chuck and Kay began praying for the youth, and then they began inviting them to church. 

When some of the so-called hippies did come, as the infamous story goes, they were met with a sign that said “No Bare Feet Allowed” because new carpeting had just been installed. Chuck tore down the sign and said he’d rather rip out the new carpeting than turn those kids away. 

He soon left that church and began pastoring a small, non-denominational church called Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa, California.  He began expository teaching of the Bible and the traditional worship music of the past became underscored with guitars and drums. 

The youth started coming in droves. 

Pastor Chuck, pointing a generation to Jesus

Suddenly, a close-to-middle-aged man was heading up what would become known as the greatest revival of our time called The Jesus Movement. 

Scores of young people were getting saved and baptized in the California ocean.  They became known as “Jesus Freaks.”  They left the hippie lifestyle and lived to worship Jesus and passionately tell others about how He died for them, too.  Calvary Chapel also started an outreach of worship called Maranatha! Music, which I think is some of the best worship music ever recorded. 

The movement of the Holy Spirit during this time was a phenomenon the likes of which most had never seen.  In the time since, over a 1000 Calvary Chapels have been established worldwide, along with many Calvary Chapel Bible Colleges.   

One of those Calvary Chapels was established in the 1980’s.  Through a long series of events, my husband and I found ourselves there one Sunday morning in 1989.  And it was that morning that I met my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  We attended that church for 22 years. 

So even though I didn’t know Pastor Chuck personally, although we did have the opportunity to see him teach once while we were on vacation, I deeply felt his passing. Without Calvary Chapel, I don’t know where I’d be right now. 

Oh, I know God could have led me to another church, but there was something about the atmosphere of Calvary.  That same powerful presence of the Holy Spirit that was there in the 60’s was there in the 80’s, and He moved my heart in a way that I became not just saved, but radically saved. 

But life happens, and sometimes years of so much “life” has a way of allowing discouragement to set in. And as I get older I feel myself slowing down.   

But as I reflected on Pastor Chuck’s life through a barrage of Facebook posts from so many who loved and admired him, and seeing all the lives he touched, my faith was energized.  We have so little time and so much to do.  Pastor Chuck was 86 at his passing, but really, his life went by so quickly. 

I could imagine Chuck Smith standing there before Jesus as they gazed into each other’s eyes, knowing all they’d been through together.  Knowing that, while Chuck wasn’t perfect (who is?), he was obedient to Christ’s call on his life.

And that’s all God asks any of us.  He doesn’t ask us to be another Chuck Smith or Billy Graham.  He just asks us to obey Him, and let Him take care of the results. 

So with that, I say with Paul:

“I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.  For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:20-21
 

 

A short but honest look at how I came to Christ at that Calvary Chapel in 1989 will be one of 40 stories featured in a book of testimonies that will be published before the end of the year.  I believe the book will be inspiring to those who already know Christ, and instrumental to bring many unsaved to faith in our precious Lord.  I’ll keep you updated on the details.  I hope you’ll get a copy for yourself and somebody you love.

The Race is On

Posted on by Dorci

And crying with a loud voice, Jesus said, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” Luke 23:46 

Faith doesn’t come only when things are good – when the sun is shining, the bills are paid, and everyone loves us.  Who needs faith then?

But when the storms rage, the money jar is empty and the enemy knocks at the door, that is when we need faith.  That is when the exercise of our faith in God is most beautiful and He is most glorified. 

Christ is our example.  Rather than avoid it, He walked through the suffering, through the pain, through the rejection and spitting and scoffing and unbelief – even by His own friends.  Why?  Because He had faith in His Father, the Father who sent Him to the cross.  He kept faith that He had a plan and a purpose in His suffering. 

They would never know anything but how to reject, how to accuse, how to inflict pain unless He died.  Unless He offered forgiveness for their sins and they took it.  Only when their eyes were opened and their hearts were wiped clean of sin would they have the capacity for true love.  So He gave Himself so they could be forgiven and bring love into the world.

And they would go on to trust God through their own sufferings, to commit their spirits to their heavenly Father like their Savior did, so others could hear of Him, have their eyes opened and hearts wiped clean of sin.  So they could learn how to love like Jesus did, completely and unselfishly, and fill the world with it.

The torch has been passed to us, and we are called to do the same.

Grace and peace,