You ever click along feeling like you’re making tremendous progress only to realize that the reason you’re so far ahead is that you forgot something? Welcome to my Friday morning. I forgot to write a post in the ‘before theater shuttle’ part of my morning. Now I’m having to do it in the ‘work on Contingency edits’ part. Rats. Oh well.

Friday update: I am on Chapter 23 of 25… Woo Hoo! Then of course comes the next read through, and proofing etc. So it’s still gonna be a while before it’s ‘done’. I’m also starting to formulate a plan for where we go from here. It’s looking like Claire’s book.

What have I learned this week? I found a group, Writer… Interrupted, that pulls together writers who are trying to balance the call to write with the rest of life. It’s comforting to see some of the same folks here as belong to TWV2 and that I connect with on Twitter. It gives me a great sense of community and proves once again that it really is a small world. I learned how to sync Facebook, Twitter and my contact list in Outlook through Plaxo. I downloaded TweetDeck but haven’t had a chance to use it much yet.

What have I read? I finished Steve Arterburn’s Healing is a Choice. He begins the books by asking what appears to be a ‘duh!’ question- do you want to be well? But on further examination, it becomes a deep, compelling question. Healing is rarely the instantaneous event we read about in Scripture. When God heals us today, it is more often spiritually and emotionally, and it is a long arduous process. It is through the process that we are blessed with a deeper understanding of God’s heart and our own frailties.

The chapters outline ten steps necessary for this process, and ten things we’ve heard or will tell ourselves to keep us from taking any of those steps. Each step is simple, straightforward and Biblically sound. Simple- yes, easy- no. I found myself agreeing wholeheartedly in Chapter 1 where the author encourages us to open up to those around us, to share our burdens and seek help from others. It is the absolute truth, and definitely the first step to healing of any kind. In Chapter 5 where he cautions against trying to figure everything out ourselves, I saw myself and the years I wasted doing exactly that. In Chapter 8 on choosing to risk and not reflexively insulate myself from any more pain, I had to back up and admit that area needed a lot of work! The companion workbook is my next project where I can take the opportunity to examine the topics in more detail after reading through the book.

Summary: Excellent, engaging, readable framework for the healing journey. (Journey… not single event.)

What did God teach me this week? Church camp finished up, and God taught me that our weaknesses not only teach us to depend on Him, but show how we fit together in the body of Christ. In order to carry out His commission, my weaknesses are offset by someone else’s strengths. I don’t think God ever intended for us to freelance, and in bringing us together He shows His wisdom, glory and grace.

Yesterday we finished teaching at camp for the year. *Sigh* It was a good time and we shot a bottle of pop over the chapel roof. (The pop bottle was part of a game/demonstration on the dangers of bottling up your anger. We, uh, made our point.) Dan and I will be back next year. In the final lesson, we discussed how tough it is to carry out the mission God has given us in a world that hates us. We called it ‘outcast living’.

We do not fit in. We will be misunderstood. Period. End of discussion. Jesus experienced the same thing and promised it for us.

(John 15:19) If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.

(John 17:14-16) I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.

This is hard to take. We naturally crave being liked and accepted. I know it’s going to happen, but when it does, I get defensive and angry. Truth is, now GOD accepts me, and I cannot be accepted BOTH by God and the world. It’s one or the other.

The summary of our camp lessons is that each of us is chosen and uniquely gifted by God to serve Him and carry His gospel. In spite of our weaknesses, God asks, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” Will you, will I, jump up and say “Here am I, send me!” or will I, will we, walk on by?

Today starts the second week of camp with the high school kids. We use the same lessons, but try a little more depth and a little more intensity (mess, that is) with the games.

We’ve discussed with the kids that they received superpowers as soon as they were saved, including the indwelling Holy Spirit to help them accomplish the mission God gives us to evangelize the world. We warned them that the Enemy has plenty of weapons of his own to hinder us, including anger. Another huge weapon- the one that works on me- is fear.

We don’t usually think of it this way, but fear is the absence of trust. When we don’t trust the quality of our studying, we are afraid to take a chemistry test. When we don’t trust physics and Boeing, we don’t get on airplanes. When we don’t trust people, we are afraid to invest ourselves in friendships and relationships. When we don’t trust God… nothing else works.

My gracious Father knows that fear is a major issue, so He talks about it a lot in the Bible. There are hundreds of references dealing with fear, worry, anxiety- all different heads of the same monster. Here are a few to implement:

(2 Tim 1:7 – KJV) For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Fear NEVER comes from God. He gives us a spirit of power (yes I can do what He gives me to do) a spirit of love (loving others is the key to carrying out the mission) and a sound mind (thinking clearly and truthfully about ourselves and our situation.)

(Psalm 118:6) The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?

That’s IS. Present tense. Right now. Count on it. Not “I hope He’s with me”, or “He might be if…” If I get the IS part, the ” I will not be afraid” part is a piece of cake. And that’s GOD with me. What can a man do to frustrate the purposes of Almighty God? Nothing… (Why don’t I remember that?)

(1 John 4:18) There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

GOD IS PERFECT LOVE. He defines it. He loves me perfectly and so seeks only my best interest. Granted His definition of ‘my best interest’ and mine often clash, but that’s my lack of trust popping up again. His perfect love carries an eternal perspective that I can’t always see or wrap my mind around.

This is one of those lessons the teacher needs more than the students. God called me to go forth and conquer, not stay home and whimper.

Camp for the elementary age kids finishes today. My two younger ones cannot wait for Lauren to get back home.

Continuing with a peek at the camp lessons… Dan and I talked with the kids about being superheroes, that God had given us powers to accomplish a mandate, but we also reminded them that we have weaknesses the Enemy will exploit. One of the big ones is anger.
Ephesians 4:26-27 reads: In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. (NIV)

Satan will take advantage of our anger and get us distracted from our mission. Whether it explodes or it’s stuffed, anger can destroy our relationships, our focus and our credibility as followers of Jesus Christ. So what is anger exactly? Anger is an emotional response to being or feeling wronged that leads to a desire for vengeance. What’s wrong with that? God says, “Vengeance is Mine. I will repay.” (Deuteronomy 32:25). If I act on my anger, I am taking on God’s responsibility. That’s called “usurping”. It shows I don’t trust God to handle the situation.

I struggle with stuffing anger. Stuffed anger can morph into bitterness or depression, either of which can destroy a person. In writing fiction, I can explore these issues through my characters. In Contingency, Bobbi stuffs her anger at Chuck’s affair and slides into depression. I shared a few things I’ve learned in my own battle as she fights her way out.

It is possible to be angry without sinning, but it’s hard. Our best strategy is to avoid it altogether. Knowing what causes it can help us avoid it. James 1:19 gives a three step strategy for avoiding anger.

My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry (NIV)

Quick to listen – Make sure you get all the facts and that you understand them. Don’t jump to conclusions!!
Slow to speak – DON’T say the first thing that pops in your head, which is usually something like “You big dummy, how could you do something so stupid?!” This only escalates things. It is NOT helpful.
Slow to become angry – Don’t fly off the handle.

Church camp begins today for the 3rd-8th graders, and we have a series of lessons titled “I Am That Hero” stressing to the kids that God has empowered them for a very important mission- carrying out the gospel. Today we’re using Spiderman’s famous tagline- With great power, comes great responsibility. Most of us don’t consider ourselves anything special and certainly not heroic. Changing diapers, doing laundry or paying the electric bill are certainly not my idea of significant work. One of Satan’s great weapons is getting us to forget who we are. At the moment of salvation, Christ blessed us with “all spiritual blessings” (Ephesians 1:3) including eternal life! He also gives us the fruit of the Spirit- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We don’t see these as special so much of the time. The fact is, all of these ‘powers’ are supernatural in origin and exercise! He also gives us the indwelling Holy Spirit.

So what’s our mission? Jesus spells it out at least 4 times in the New Testament-
(Matthew 28:18-20) Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

(Mark 16:15-16) He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

(John 21:15-17) When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you truly love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.” The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.

(Acts 1:8) But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

A witness is someone who tells what he knows. We don’t need lots of experience or training to tell what we know. Did Jesus change my life? Does He matter to me? How are my daily activities different because of Jesus? How is my outlook affected? Does He make any difference?

Then here’s the ‘great responsibility part-
(Ezek 33:8) When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak out to dissuade him from his ways, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood.

The character of God hasn’t changed. If He held an Old Testament prophet responsible for not doing His job, He’s going to hold us New Testament saints responsible as well. Our responsibility is limited to the “speaking out” part. We ARE NOT held accountable for someone’s rejection of the warning.

Today and everyday, I need to remember I am a superhero with a mission to fulfill.