Revival

Life is crazy.
A friend’s husband dies at 36 from dengue fever, and she becomes a widow with 2 middle school age daughters.
4 girls go missing, as if a dad dying of cancer this spring wasn’t enough for a family. Thankfully, they are found.
Being responsible for roughly 300 kids of the 600 at school, and being a voice for their families is a big challenge, but it’s worthwhile. I am super glad for my co-Intrepreter to share the journey with, and in all reality, a lot more goes right than goes wrong most days.
There are volumes of books that could be written by refugees on all the trauma they have endured before they come to America, and even how it continues to happen.
A court date gets cancelled because an Intrepreter didn’t show, so the end of the story still isn’t known.
I see a 7 year old kid and his young friends walking down the street at 9pm,  and they aren’t going toward home. My heart cries out for their safety.
Another friend tells me she has a court date coming to separate with her husband... and the job she was offered, is something she has to wait for.
The list could continue...

But this isn’t the point of this blog. I could worry about all these things, and request prayer for a million things. But that isn’t my biggest concern.

The visiting preacher hit it on the head this past Sunday. Casual Christian Crisis was the title of the sermon. My heart breaks over the kind of conversations that are happening in our churches. The insecurity of unstable, stale, passionless pews across America weighs me down more right now than all that stuff I listed at the beginning. When you ask me how you can pray, pray for the church.

I can run myself ragged helping others, and you could, too. You see, the Good Book promises you will always have poor people.

We can find coping mechanisms for our own issues in helping others as well. Is it a good thing to always turn to “good things?” No. Need I say more?

Back to the passive attitude towards the Great Commissioner, who said the whole Story hangs on loving the Lord your God with everything you have, and your neighbors as yourself. We are ALL commissioned. There are no loopholes here.

Last I checked, there was no verse that made any room for hating on people who follow other religions. Hate isn’t anywhere close to a Jesus attitude. Christianity is the only one that talks about a God of Love. I don’t care who you are, or who you think you are, if you truly follow Jesus, you love. It’s not someone more spiritual who is called to it. It’s you. And everyone else who says they are a Believer. End of story. If you can’t love the sinner while hating their sin, you better check yourself.

I’m tired of telling city stories just for entertainment. I long for people who are dirty in the trenches, who get it. People who are struggling with the balance between loving God and keeping yourself passionate, with loving the people around us well. These faithful few exist, and I love them. I am excited to find more of them.

I know it sounds like high ideals, blah, blah... but reality is if you say you believe Him, you need to obey every part of the Word, including the Great Commission. Somehow, we think if we get baptized right, communion right, modesty right, 1 Corinthians 11 right, Proverbs 31 if you are female, and follow Ephesians 5 for relationships, we have the corner on the whole gospel. Really??? I am glad I had teachers who set the record straight, and say that the basis for the Great Comission is found in Genesis 12, right at the beginning of the Bible. God blessed Abraham to be a blessing... for one reason: to bless others. I’m getting the picture that the prosperous offspring of Abraham who live in America are fast losing grasp of the reason for the promise of blessings. If that offends someone, well, go read the Book. I know, truth should be spoken with grace. But I don’t want this truth to be
watered down. There’s a lot of people that I love who need to consider what God might have for them. This isn’t high ideology. It’s what is required of God’s people.

What this boils down to is our hearts. Where are you headed? Is God big enough in your own head to deserve all the glory He can get from your life and all the lives you influence? If we are going to throw our crowns at His feet in Heaven, is Jesus worthy enough in your mind to make sure that halo is far more extravagant than a flimsy Burger King kiddo crown? That crown isn’t about us. Maybe you don’t see it this way, but my Jesus deserves the very best I can offer Him as a gift.

What is your passion? Where has your passion gone, if it feels burned out? We can just be passive about a message on passion, or we can become alive and passionate.

Prayer is important and necessary. But at some point, we also need to rise up and do something along with our prayer.

90% of efforts go to help people who already know Truth. What about the people who were never told Truth?! You can find them anywhere in the world. When are you going to turn at least some of your efforts toward them?

Let’s stop having little “feel good” clubs, pat answers, self righteous and perfect responses in all the right places, and get messy. There are more crazy situations out there then every Family Member working full time combined could take care of. Let’s make it real. It’s not fun and games. It’s the stuff that steep learning curves and roller coasters are made of. You’re going to cry often. But it’s not about us. It’s about what He asks.

It’s time for revival. Real flaming fire. Repentance. Cancelled plans traded in for confession and testimony. I could cry for how much I want to see it. 11 years ago, I was privileged to be present at what we as a group later called ‘Super Tuesday’. That day revival broke loose, and people were changed. That day bonded that group of people like nothing else could. We were the full spectrum of personalities, opinions, and polarizing in many ways. But the revival brought us together. This needs to happen again, everywhere in the world. I am ready to see it again, in all my circles.

Once revival happens in our churches, the neighborhood will be changed as well. We will go out and tell. Only after we get the fires rekindled in our own hearts, can we effectively engage those around us. Henceforth and till revival breaks out, pray for the church. Revival always starts with the church, not the city.

It needs to start with everyone. Every leader, every dad, every mom, every Sunday School teacher, and all the rest. Pedestals need to be eliminated, and together we need to repent and seek God. He will meet us.

God is on the move. We just need to get on board with Him.