Paula Wiseman

Faith and life meet in a story

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What does authentic faith look like? Check these posts.

Authenticity Challenge tag title

Ministry Challenges

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Ministry Challenges title graphic with a maple seedling growing out of a rock

Jesus had some real challenges in His ministry. It’s tempting to think because He was God everything clicked along smoothly. Everything DID click along according to plan, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it was smooth. In Mark 3, we see a picture of His ministry.

Ministry Snapshot

In verse 20, Jesus couldn’t even grab time to eat.
In verse 21, Jesus’s own people, His family, and friends questioned His sanity.
In verse 22, the religious leaders reasoned that Jesus had to be in league with Beelzebub.

What does that mean for us?

  • People will take advantage of our time and attention.
  • People will question everything about our ministry.
  • People will misattribute our motives.

If ministry wasn’t tough enough, what makes it more difficult is that these very same people . . .

  • May be part of the respected religious establishment (v. 22)
  • May believe they have your best interests at heart (v. 21)
  • May be well-meaning (v. 31)
  • May be your closest associates, perhaps even family (v. 32)

Facing challenges

When faced with opposition, we typically wonder if we are headed in the right decision. Taking the time to connect with God allows us to gain clarity on our ministry direction and receive confirmation.

Once we receive confirmation, it is important not to second-guess ourselves. It is natural to encounter obstacles. Don’t be discouraged.

A final caution

The flip side is a warning to be careful questioning or criticizing another’s ministry. We can’t presume to know how God is directing someone else. Plus, the challenges (or lack thereof) they face may not have anything to do with whether or not they’re on the right track.

Yes, ministry on any level, in any capacity can be challenging, but nothing else compares to it. In John 16, Jesus gave His take on it:

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. John 15:16

He chose us and appointed that we go bear fruit. How could we refuse?

What We Don’t Know About Authenticity

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After a couple of weeks considering what authentic faith is, here’s my summary – we don’t know.
That’s not a cop-out answer. 1 John 3:2 says “Beloved, now we are the children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”
Authentic faith is a humble realization that we have a long way to go, and a lot to learn along the way. Every day and every situation brings the opportunity for a deeper understanding of God and His ways, which we relish. We readily share our insights, rejoice with each other, grieve with and comfort one another. We uphold each other, carry each other to the throne of grace, and lean on each other. All the while we hold on to the hope the assurance that one day we will know, we will understand, we will see.
And we welcome fellow-travelers.

j0438658After a couple of weeks considering what authentic faith is, here’s my summary – we don’t know.

That’s not a cop-out answer. 1 John 3:2 says “Beloved, now we are the children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”

Authentic faith is a humble realization that we have a long way to go, and a lot to learn along the way. Every day and every situation brings the opportunity for a deeper understanding of God and His ways, which we relish. We readily share our insights, rejoice with each other, grieve with and comfort one another. We uphold each other, carry each other to the throne of grace, and lean on each other. All the while we hold on to the hope the assurance that one day we will know, we will understand, we will see.

And we welcome fellow-travelers.

Post Failure

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Oops! Road SignIt was such a simple thing, and I’d done it dozens of times before… Schedule a blog post. Once it posts, a tweet is generated with a link to the post. Straightforward, uncomplicated… At least in theory.  Yesterday, the post missed its schedule. The tweet however, generated anyway with a link to a post that didn’t exist. And a minute later, another tweet was generated. And again a minute later. And again… for forty-seven minutes. (Something like that… I couldn’t count the  tweets. Frankly didn’t want to count the tweets.)
I disabled the tweets. They didn’t stop. I disabled the WordPress plug-in. The tweets didn’t stop. Finally, I deleted the post. They stopped. How embarrassing!
That was a tough lesson for this perfectionist. I have a pathological aversion to looking stupid. A tweet- the same tweet- every minute for the better part of an hour certainly qualifies as stupid. So in the face of such a techie disaster, I could choose to crawl in a virtual hole, disable my Twitter account and not post for a while… like months. Then come back under an assumed name. That has some appeal. A much more reasonable reaction is to chalk it up as a learning experience, and move on. And here we are.
So near the close of the Authenticity Challenge, how does this apply to my faith? If I am putting forth any effort at all, at some point, I will fail, perhaps spectacularly. When that happens… (And that’s not saying it hasn’t already happened. Because it has.) I need to absorb the lesson and get back to work. I can never outfail God’s grace.
Tomorrow is the last post in this series… Be sure a check back for some parting thoughts. Tuesday’s post will be another study tip.

Oops! Road SignIt was such a simple thing, and I’d done it dozens of times before… Schedule a blog post. Once it posts, a tweet is generated with a link to the post. Straightforward, uncomplicated… At least in theory.  Yesterday, the post missed its schedule. The tweet however, generated anyway with a link to a post that didn’t exist. And a minute later, another tweet was generated. And again a minute later. And again… for forty-seven minutes. (Something like that… I couldn’t count the  tweets. Frankly I didn’t want to count the tweets.)

I disabled the tweets. They didn’t stop. I disabled the WordPress plug-in. The tweets didn’t stop. Finally, I deleted the post. They stopped. How embarrassing!

That was a tough lesson for this perfectionist. I have a pathological aversion to looking stupid. A tweet- the same tweet- every minute for the better part of an hour certainly qualifies as stupid. So in the face of such a techie disaster, I could choose to crawl in a virtual hole, disable my Twitter account and not post for a while… like months. Then come back under an assumed name. I gave that more than a few moments consideration.  A much more reasonable reaction is to chalk it up as a learning experience, and move on. And here we are.

So near the close of the Authenticity Challenge, how does this apply to my faith? If I am putting forth any effort at all, at some point, I will fail, perhaps spectacularly. When that happens… (And that’s not saying it hasn’t already happened. Because it has.) I need to absorb the lesson and get back to work. I can never outfail God’s grace.

Tomorrow is the last post in this series… Be sure a check back for some parting thoughts. Tuesday’s post will be another study tip.

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Do You Have the Answer?

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Door, Tinker, Jingle.  We played TriBond last night. The object is to figure out what each threesome has in common. Midway thru the game, it was Alan’s turn, and this was his question. He went totally blank. We tried everything to help him figure out the answer, short of telling him. Nothing worked. Finally we were working through it one last time, “Door…, Tinker… Jingle… ?” Rachel raised her head and said “Bells.”  Jingle Bells is now the new synonym for ‘Duh!’ in our house.

And that’s how it is with the problems and questions we face. Sometimes the answers just won’t come. Sometimes the question doesn’t even make sense. No matter how we reframe things or cycle through the possibilities, nothing clicks.

Thankfully God surrounds us with brothers and sisters to give us perspective, wisdom and consolation when we can’t come up with an answer. I did a post recently on what to look for when seeking good counsel. Additionally, many instructions about how to function as the body of Christ have to deal with how we help, respond to and uplift our fellow believers.

Half the battle is simply making ourselves available and a willingness to get involved. Therefore, comfort [or encourage] each other and edify [build up] one another, just as you also are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Who knows? You may have the very answer someone is looking for. Jingle Bells.

Searching My Heart

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Search me O God and know my heart.
Search… Strong’s defines it as examine intimately, or penetrate. God shines His brilliant, all pervasive holiness into all the corners of my heart and mind. When He does that here’s what He finds
Hollow motives, times I’ve done what I “should” not because I wanted to, but because I figured I ought to. No joy.
Failure to follow through, times I’ve known what God’s word says, but I’ve stopped short of full obedience. I skated by. I caved. I wimped out. No power.
Self-centeredness, greater concern for myself, my comfort, my reputation than for God’s glory. No compassion.
Despair, that ‘why bother- nothing’s every going to change anyway’ feeling. I give up or stop trying. No faith.
Those are the kinds of things that make me want to slink out of God’s presence. These are the things that Satan points out to me, to mock and accuse and defeat. God, however, redeems.
He knew what He was getting with me, and He declares without wavering, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you. Before you were born I sanctified you.” (Jeremiah 1:5) Chosen, set apart for His purposes. He also knew exactly what was in my heart all along, before the search ever began.
So why go through this searching process? To bring me to a place of intimate trust. To know that in spite of all that He finds, He loves me and He has not given up on me.

burstSearch me O God and know my heart…

Search… Strong’s defines it as examine intimately, or penetrate. God shines His brilliant, all pervasive holiness into all the corners of my heart and mind. That’s unsettling, unnerving. When He does that here’s what He finds

  • Hollow motives, times I’ve done what I “should” not because I wanted to, but because I figured I ought to. No joy.
  • Failure to follow through, times I’ve known what God’s word says, but I’ve stopped short of full obedience. I skated by. I caved. I wimped out. No power.
  • Self-centeredness, greater concern for myself, my comfort, my reputation than for God’s glory. No compassion.
  • Despair, that ‘why bother- nothing’s every going to change anyway’ feeling. I give up or stop trying. No faith.

Those are the kinds of things that make me want to slink out of God’s presence. These are the things that Satan points out to me, to mock and accuse and defeat. God, however, redeems.

He knew what He was getting with me, and He declares without wavering, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you. Before you were born I sanctified you.” (Jeremiah 1:5) I am chosen, set apart for His purposes. He also knew exactly what was in my heart all along, before the search ever began.

So why make me go through this searching process? To bring me to a place of intimate trust. So that I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that in spite of all that He finds, He loves me and He will never give up on me.

Food… and bed and stuff and pizza… and boxes

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1154097_82462291Food… and bed and stuff and pizza… and boxes
Rachel is 3, and this was her prayer at bedtime. Simple. Straightforward. Often I make prayer too formal and stilted, too grown-up. Here’s what I can learn from her.
Nothing is too small to pray about. Or too unusual.
It’s for God’s ears. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks about the requests.
No big words. You don’t have to impress God with style or oratory. No sense wearing Him out either.
Prayer naturally flows from what’s already on your heart.

1154097_82462291Food… and bed and stuff and pizza… and boxes

Rachel is 3, and this was her prayer at bedtime. Simple. Straightforward. Often I make prayer too formal and stilted, too grown-up. Here’s what I can learn from her.

  • Nothing is too small to pray about. Or too unusual.
  • It’s for God’s ears. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks about the requests.
  • No big words. You don’t have to impress God with style or oratory. No sense wearing Him out either.
  • Prayer naturally flows from what’s already on your heart.

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