Thursday, March 28, 2013

Mountain


Up

One of my favourite places in the world is Banff national park, in Alberta. This is a town that is surrounded by the Rocky mountains and where one is not far away from some great hiking trails. Weever I get a chance to God there, I'm astounded by the natural beauty all around and the majestic awesomeness of those towering peaks. Being there you can truly see the finger prints of God in every corner of such wondrous beauty. It is the place where I feel closest to God, it's an inexplicable holy place to me. There is nothing like hiking these mountains. There's no distractions, no cell phones, no emails to answer, no appointments to be kept. Just your water bottle, walking stick, daypack and God.

There are many times when God takes us to a mountain, but being there may not be a great and joyous time. Most of us associate mountain to p experiences with reaching a closeness to God, just like Moses did;  yet some times mountain top experiences may be for a different reason. Sometimes God takes us to his mountain not to share in a closeness, but rather to isolate us from the world so that we may be able to hear his voice. In the quiet loneliness of the mountain, God instructs and refreshes your soul. It is where God shows you grace.

Mountain Men

Two men had contracting experiences atop a mountain. Both met with God, but the reason behind their ascensions where different. The first climbed up to receive instructions, laws and to intercede on behalf of the people he reluctantly led. A people that were so easily seduced by sin and taunted God's wrath almost daily. He had been groomed from birth to lead, he had all the skills, but he struggled with self doubt and rash, violent actions. This unbridled fervour led him to make a mistake and he had to flee into the wilderness to save his life. Yet it was in the wilderness near a mountain where he saw a miraculous sign and where God bestowed upon him the mantle of a leader and gave him the plan for the deliverance of a chosen and loved people.

The second man was already anointed by God with great power before he climbed his first mountain. It was on too of a mountain where He had his greatest success in ministry. He won a battle where the sheer power of God was displayed and proved to a wayward nation that the pagan gods they had been influenced to follow by a wicked queen, had no power compared to the one and only God. Because he had been used to expose the lies of the enemy his life was threatened, and in fear, he fled to another mountain where ind the midst of great loneliness and seeming defeat, he wanted to die. It ws in this mountain where God reminded him of his mission. Where God refreshed him and sent him back to complete the task he had been given. God even gave him some help in the form of an eventual successor who would go on to surpass him.

  On one hand we have someone who learnt how to lead and inspite of his short comings. He learnt how to speak in a way to inspire people to keep moving, to keep trusting in God and to keep the promises of God at the forefront of their minds. On the mountain Moses saw God's glory and was sent. On the other hand we have a prophet who was worn out, an angry letter by an even angrier woman had shaken him to the core even though God's power and protection had not left him. On the mountain he was restored, quieted, fed, refocused and reminded he was not alone. With a simple "why are you here, Elijah?" God began the restorative process of his soul, first by reminding him of his purpose and secondly, he was given a plan of succession by which his burden would be dispersed.

Which mountain?

Two different men and Two different mountain experiences. Which mountain experience do you identify with right now? Are you like Moses, meeting with God regularly to intercede for the people under you care? or are you facing adversity from the people you are trying your best to lead, but it seems like you just can't win, like Elijah? Dear reader, fellow worker, my brother or sister, we will all have to climb either mountain at one point or another in our ministry. But do not despair! The Lord ordains these experiences. When in doubt, or fear, or persecution there is not better place to go than up the mountain of God.

  These mountains are not to be our permanent dwelling places, for the battle is fought down in the valleys of this world. God takes us to these mountains to give us hope, to let us survey the world around us from His vantage point so that we may see how far we have come from when we first chose to follow Him. Mountain times are for a time and for a reason, don't be like Peter who wanted to set up some tents on the mount of the transfiguration, when Jesus met with the two men mentioned above. When the time is right and God has given instruction or restored the heart, He will send you down the mountain again. We, as leaders, are no good to God if we choose to cloister our selves, He needs us to be mobile, quick on our feet, and living within our people.

One last mountain

Jesus had a habit of going up mountains to pray. When ever he could, according to scripture, He would get away to the wilderness, or to a mountain to pray and recharge. He was the fulfilment of the prophecies of all the prophets, of which Elijah is considered chief, and He is the completion of the Law given to Moses. I like to think that the reason he sought out these high places to pray, was to show his disciples that He was the promised one which the scriptures and the prophets said would come, climbing the mountain to meet with God, one greater than Moses and Elijah. Yet there was one last mountain that he had to climb.

Being so close to good friday, I am reminded Calvary, a mount outside of Jerusalem, where the greatest victory known to mankind took place. Bloodied, beaten beyond recognition, tired and on the verge of collapse, Jesus took step after painstaking step up this mountain dragging a cross. This time the mountain experience was one that everyone, spanning the ages, would see. What happened atop this mount (or hill) finally fulfilled the whole of scripture. The sacrifice was made, the penalty for sin was paid, the veil was torn asunder so that we humans would be free from condemnation. So that we would one day be able to see the face of God, to run into his arms and feel the warmth of His embrace. If it wasn't for what happened at Calvary, none of us would be allowed to climb the mountain of God.

Remember, dear reader, that when ever you are in the thick of battle in the trenches, when you think that your strength will give out and that you have nothing left to fight for, remember to look up at this mountain! See the cross at its pinnacle and remember that the Lord will take care of you, He will direct you, He will restore you. Climb this mountain and remember his promise: "...And I am with you ALWAYS, to the very end of the age"

may the Lord bless you all with a Happy Easter!!!

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Radical Humility


Radiating Humility

 There is just something about people who are humble. You can't ignore it, and you can't put your finger on it. Everything they are doing seems to be genuine and effort less. You could say that they make being humble look so easy. Sadly this quality is so rare that it catches you off guard when you are exposed to such true humility. 


    True humility is one of the most underrated and necessary character that a leader should strive to master. I'm not sure why but I have yet to find anyone write a book on how to develop humility as a leader. I'm sure there must be someone out there that has touched on the subject, but I've not found one yet. Most of the time I find lessons from biographies of famous authors, but they are brief and far between.


     Last week, I saw such a vivid example of humbleness from a very unexpected source. For a few days last week the eyes of the worlds media turned on a group of men locked in a chapel in one of the world most famous chapels, cameras trained steadily on a chimney that would herald the election of their new leader, Someone chosen from amongst a myriad of peers who would lead their church for the foreseeable future. When they presented the man they chose as pope, I could not help but notice that there was something... different, about him. Something I'd seen far too few times in all my years as a Christ follower. This man radiated humility!


Lessons from a Pope?


   As more information about this man was revealed by the many news teams stationed at the vatican, there was an over arching trait that every person who had ever met this man would highlight as they were interviewed: He was humble. They noted that the way he lived as a cardinal was different than that of the others, he lived simply, took the bus rather than use a vehicle and driver that came along with his title. He spent time in the slums, amongst the very poor, he ate with them, cooked his own meals, and he used his position to love as many people as he could.


     At this presentation Pope Francis chose to wear the simplest of robes, rather than dress in the fancy drapery available to him. Even after receiving the highest of positions in the catholic church, he chose to stay humble. Even went as far as picking up his own luggage and pay for the lodgings he had used before he became pope. The people of the media found it amazing how a man known for being humble refused so many of the benefits that came with the power he was chosen to wield. My favourite part of this news coverage was the look of confusion and surprise in the faces of several newscasters when they reported that he had thanked each member of the staff where he stayed and had taken a simple vehicle there. His actions radiated humility and they noticed! one head line read "Pope Francis shows Radical humility amidst vatican pomp." (You can read it here) Radical humility, if only we all had that.


  Watching the media circus eat up any action or word this new pope said or did, I had a thought. There is a lesson to be learned here! I think that Radical Humility is not something you do it is something you are. Can a person be so humble that people think his actions to be radical? can something as passive as humility capture the hearts of a people in darkness? Has humility become so foreign to us that it shocks us when we see it in action? Can Humility truly be radical?


Its all glitter and noise...


     This world is accustomed to big shows. It loves the next big thing, all the flash and glitter that screams: "I am awesome! Gaze upon my magnificence!!" you don't believe me? take a look at the magazine racks next time you are buying groceries. I dare you to find 3 covers of magazines that don't peddle fame, flash, riches, scandals or gossip. They're all about how you can make yourself better, more attractive, successful. Its all about the you. Even if you find one about someone famous making a difference with a charity, there's always some hidden benefit to that individual. They do it because it makes them feel like they are contributing. Its all about the you/me.


   I think that the problem we have with humility is that we think that highlighting it makes it less humble. In fact, I believe most of us use humility as a way to boost our own pride. However, Radical Humility has nothing to do with us as individuals. True humility is found in filling the needs of others when no one is watching. Its sitting in the dirt with a poor family who has invited you for lunch, its forged in visiting an enemy who is sick, its found in leaving the church/youth room cleaner than when you got there so that the janitor does not have to clean up your mess, Its found in helping the sound techs clean up after the service even if it wasn't a youth service, its found in listening to a person pour out their heart to you after you've preached 3 sermons and all you want to do is go home and take a nap, it is found in offering a ride to a fellow church goer who is waiting for the bus on a rainy or snowy day, radical humility is found in having the guts to invite a person you've never met for lunch after church just to make them feel welcomed, it is found in stepping in when volunteers are needed even though you're working 40 hours that week and it means giving up a weekend, it is found in helping that new immigrant family learn the ins and outs of the culture so that they will be able to succeed, It is found in showing up for a prayer meeting, even if you're the only one there. True humility is not a label that you can attach on your self, but rather it is one bestowed on you by others, and one you cannot see.


Effortless


    Humility is not found once you are placed in a position of leadership! If you think having a higher title will make you more humble, you're wrong. It won't. If we don't learn humility when we are part of the masses, and no one is watching, then we will not attain it when we are at the apex leading the charge. Humility is not the way to fast forward a career nor can it be used to draw attention to our virtues. In fact, when we exercise true, radical humility we may not even realize we are doing it. It becomes such a natural, effortless part of who we are that it catches us by surprise when other people admire it. You just do what you do, because it pleases the Lord. Nothing more, nothing less. That's True humility.


  Watching the Pope, break several customs to ensure that he stays humble is astounding! Yet, I do not get a sense that it is all an act. It looks so effortless, so natural the way he carries himself, like all these things that seem important and fancy are just trappings and inconvenience. He denied himself things that are his by right just to ensure that his humility is not compromised. This example has shown me that people who exercise true humility do so as part of who they are and not as something they do as an add-on to garner favour. It is truly a beautiful sight to behold! one can only imagine what it must look like through the eyes of God. Perhaps, it looks as effortless and graceful as a ballet, or as smooth and easy like the hands of a skilled musician on their instrument. Simple and beautiful. Effortless.


   Let me conclude with a question I've been asking myself since I saw the reports on the new Pope: Am I seeking after humility simply so I will get recognized, or am I exercising it because it pleases God? I'm not sure how to answer this question, all I do know is that I want to be so humble that people outside of christian circles will be directed to God without me even knowing; I want a Radical Humility to radiate out or my life, do you?

    

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Hope

  Time's up

    Let me get personal for a little bit. It's been almost 10 months since I left my last church. 10 months of sending resumes out, going to interviews, and repeating the cycle over and over almost daily. When I reached the decision to leave, it was the toughest one I'd ever had to make, because everything was going well. I would say that it was my dream position, I had a great team of leaders, a clear vision, good attendance numbers, the support of the board and pastoral staff, the backing of most of the parents and I love those kids. After 5 years, it was time to go.

 So why leave? well, I strongly felt that the Lord was saying to me that I had done what He wanted me to do there. Believe me, I hoped that someone would say something different but every person I consulted or asked to pray for me came back with the same out come. I knew this was the Lord because He was asking me to give up one of the most precious things in my life, something I had worked very hard to build. This was not a trade, He had not guaranteed me something better, nor was there any new opportunity waiting for me. This is a test of faith.

Great plans of mice and men

   In my mind, I had it all figured out. I would leave, then wait a couple of months then a new opportunity would be presented to me and I would continue serving God in another congregation. It seemed so laughably easy, and quick... That's what I thought anyways; However, that was not what things looked like in God's mind. I had no idea that it would be 10 months of waiting, praying, bare bones budgeting, using up most of my savings, feeling continually frustrated at the lack of interest in my services from any church I applied to. This frustration wore me out, it drove me to a sense of deep despair and constant questioning my decision. There was no going back.

   Fear crept into my heart, as the weeks turned into months, but just as I was feeling really low I received some interviews and then offered a position in 2 different churches, which excited me, but when I prayed whether or not to accept either of them, after all, that was the plan right? Nope. Wrong again! I prayed and The Lord's answer was a simple "not yet."... two words... two words was all it took to close those doors. Again, I sought a way to ignore those two words and move on from this purgatory I'd been placed in. I looked hard for an excuse to get back in the game and minister again, but all I got was another "not yet." so I reluctantly obeyed and turned both positions down. So much for the grand plan! my grand plan.

Looking Back

  It took a while, but I've finally reached a point in all this waiting where I stopped complaining and whining, and started to listen. I started to hear and see why God has me waiting at this point in my life. I don't have it all figured out, but just enough to give me hope. Looking back I now see that in 12 years of ministry I had never taken any time off, I took holidays, yes, but simply because I was forced to, time off was an annoyance to me and I kept working in my mind. I was soul weary, physically and mentally exhausted. Stress was my driving force and I was doing things out of sheer skill rather than with a heart full of the Holy Spirit.

 I had become arrogant in my own self, I stopped caring about the people in my ministry and was more concerned with results and pleasing people. Honestly, I had gotten so bad, I started to dread every time a youth event, practice or teaching time was scheduled. I dreaded seeing the students that were the reason I was there and had the joy of serving. I became focused on doing things for God rather than being with Him, and my spiritual side was growing more and more feeble and sick, yet I refused to see. Keeping the right appearance had replaced my passion. I was done. I'd fought for so long I had nothing left and had even forgotten why I was fighting. It all became a boring chore.

  So, God, the great physician of the soul, the grand commander of Heaven's armies engineered some much needed rest and some open soul surgery. Success in ministry had, to my shame, led to pride growing dangerously large in my soul. It had spread to the point where I didn't rely on God any more. Prayer was mechanical and always with an agenda in mind, bible study became a daily ritual rather than soul developing exercise. I was setting my self, the youth I loved and the church I served on a path to derailment. Who knows what horrible thing God kept me from doing or causing. I don't want to know, and I'm thankful I wont ever have to find out.

God had to remove my authority as a leader and bring me back to being a servant. I was king of a throne that wasn't mine and God reminded me of who truly is King. He took it all away for my own good, to give me rest from the pressure of my own burden, to restore the health of my soul and to reequip and resupply me for when He sends me back into battle. I abdicated, He was enthroned and peace was restored.

Here Comes the Hope

  I wish I could tell you that I have a new position, but Lo, I'm still waiting for that promise. The Lord is closer to me now, I don't feel alone or tired anymore. I've been helping out as a volunteer at the church I'm attending where I've learned so much in such a short time. I'm enjoying not having total responsibility and seeing ministry from the angle of a volunteer, an angle I had not experienced in a very long time! I've rediscovered the passion I had when God called me into ministry.

  Im gaining tools and new skills that will help me be a better leader in the future. I've even discovered new gifts, such as, I enjoy writing (hence the blog), not only do I enjoy doing it (I find it therapeutic) but perhaps there is someone out there who maybe helped by what I've written. I pray and fast more just because I want to be closer to my Lord. I read my bible with wonder and marvel at how old things are new again. The Lord has even provided enough to pay the bills! I've had the opportunity to have deep conversations with my mom which I never had time for before or I was too tired to listen to and now I feel like we understand each other better. I've learned so much about my family that I know one day I'll appreciate even more, plus we laugh more.

 And so, dear reader, though I don't know where or who you are, or what your situation is I want you to remember that there is always Hope. God never takes away something from us unless He needs to. I've discovered that having faith in Him is not to be based on what He can give you as a replacement for what He asked you to surrender, but rather faith in God is to be based on the fact the He is: He is on your side, He is with you, and He is your purpose. The blessings He bestows upon us are just perks, proofs that our faith is growing in quality. God has never been unfaithful with His promises, and just because they do not come to pass when we plan for them to happen, our hope comes not from the promise, but from the one who made the promise. 

   If you are going through something similar to the journey I'm on or perhaps are being led down this path, take heart! Be strong and obey what God asks for you to do! Trust that He knows what He is doing and remember in God there is always an never ending abundance of HOPE.

Friday, March 1, 2013

Unlearn.


 Unlearn 
 The hardest thing to do is to connect what’s in your head with that which is in your heart. Sometimes your head is filled with so much that it muddies the clarity of whats in your heart, and sometimes the passion in your heart gets out of control and causes more damage than good. This is an issue we all have to deal with, not just people of faith, but every human being in this world. we tend to make the simple things, the things that matter the most and that would lead us into greater growth, more complicated than they were meant to be. How do we stop from doing that? How do we manage to grasp something as complexly simple as faith and not just learn about it but live it?
  Perhaps you picked up this book and thought that it would be filled with how to’s and formulas on how to deepen your faith life, sorry to tell you that this is not its intent. This is not a self help book, nor will it try to define what faith is, there are plenty of those in any church or bible college library written by the best and brightest minds in the Christian sphere. Lastly, this book will not try to debunk any denominations theology or view on faith. If you’re searching for any of the issues listed above this is not the book for you; however, if you want to join me in a journey of discovery where we will most likely end up with more questions than answers, where we will wrestle with our very souls and beliefs, then I invite you to read on.
 There are many ways that we are able to learn things. Some need to experience something before it becomes part of their knowledge, others like clear linear instructions, yet others prefer to be left alone with no limits to figure things out. I am more akin to learning by observing how others do, so this book will have personal observations, that have helped define my view of faith.
  An ancient proverb states, “A cup that is full cannot be filled.” Perhaps whomever said those words meant that as a metaphor for our minds. A mind unwilling to empty itself in order to view things from a different point of view or to receive new knowledge is like a cup that is all ready full. One can pour new liquid into it but it will just be a wasting of time and whatever liquid was hoped to be added. Lets think of it this way: if we were given a very expensive 200 year old bottle of wine (do they have those?), and we only had one glass (I know that all you practical people would just go out and buy or borrow one, but stick with me) and it was filled with cheap grocery store boxed wine, would it not be logical to first empty and wash the glass before new wine was poured in it? Any wine taster will tell you that you never mix wines because it cheapens the experience, aroma and taste of the more aged wine.
  So it is with our minds, to go in this journey, we must lay aside any previous knowledge, theology, dogma, or family belief. Not throw it away, but simply put it in proper storage, locked away for a bit, so that we have had a chance to experience something else in its fullness without preconceptions or biases. Let anything we carry drop away so that our mind is free to perceive more clearly.
Empty some mind-space

We all have junk in our homes. Be honest! we all know there is a room or a drawer in our houses that is filled with knick-knacks, boxes full of stuff we meant to unpack, things we’ve stored to give away, but never did. Some hold memories and are too precious to throw away, some are gifts that were well intentioned, but  had no immediate  use, or perhaps a pile of hobbies we meant to take seriously, but gave up on the minute our attention was drawn away by yet another shinier object, or are simple pack rats.
     My father was a bit of a pack rat. He would go to garage sales, flea markets or simply walk down a back alley in the evenings and find things to bring home. Broken sewing machines, chairs, toaster ovens, etc. all things in which he saw the glimmer of usefulness and could be fixed and be reused. unfortunately, he never would fix anything so all these “treasures” would keep filling the basement in our not so large townhouse. Eventually, they were joined by more items all waiting for the day that my father would finally fix and make use of them. It was all junk to me, and perhaps it is why I detest storing things that will never be of use or are broken, and why I abhor going to garage sales. If it can’t be fixed why keep it? If it’s not going to be used regularly, why store it? No need to keep clutter around. This is a perfect example of what I mean by Unlearn.
  We all have a place in our being I like to refer to as mind-space. This is an area of our being meant to store all the faith experience God gives us. From a simple experience in kindness to prayers for someone’s healing are all meant to be kept in this place so we have access to them so we can share, empathize, or comfort our brother’s and sisters in difficult times. Unfortunately, as with most basements or garages, we tend to put items there simply because its available space. Sometimes, broken dreams end up there, regrets or bad experiences, hurts, shattered relationships, shards of old friendships and rending words spoken to us. Perhaps we tend to fill this “mind-space” with intellectual knowledge or spiritual trivia because it seems eerily devoid of true character building faith experience and the emptiness frightens us. We can also easily hide counterfeited faith in there so that others will think we possess scores of the genuine item. We fill our mind-space so full of spiritual “junk” that there is no room for us to store true faith experience and its even harder to access the one stored. Thus, they sit there, unused, valuable, but gathering dust and covered in cobwebs no more useful than all our broken “junk”
  At this point in our journey, some are waiting for a list of do’s to help clean out the junk. Well, its not that simple Why? Because each person is unique. there are insurmountable combinations on how to do this. Some, prefer to take long walks alone with God or sometimes playing music on an instrument. Others, enjoy entering in to heated discussions (I call it arguing) with people of opposite views, yet others use the ancient art of biblical meditation to free up any mind-space. Our task is to find what works best for each of us, since there is no simple, blanket process that will work for everyone and yield the same results. Each of us is in different stages in our faith walk, and though we follow the same path in Christ Jesus, each of our “routes” will be vastly different, even if they intersect at times. If developing a relentless version of faith is important to us, then we will find a way to remove the clutter.
  Why do we need to unlearn? Well, We self-impose limitations on ourselves that were not God-ordained. We use our “clutter” as fodder for excuses. These same excuses that gives us the illusion that we have some measure of control over life. It is our ingrained arrogance that stops us from humbly doing the cleaning work so that we may store our faith experience in its proper, character edifying place. There should be nothing, save the words of the Bible that should be our extent. Not theology, not denominational beliefs, not political affiliation, nor societal status. Nothing, but the Word of God....
by 
Pedro V. Escamilla
Feb 28, 2013
Edmonton, Alberta Canada.