Tag: patience

Wise Words on Plodding and Waiting

It is the nature of mobilization to say, “Hey, how about we do this thing we haven’t done yet?” For some, that type of thinking is all fun and unicorns. Others, however, particularly those who are in charge of “what we’re currently doing,” might not be so enthusiastic.

– Read More From Missions Catalyst

 

30 Days of prayer to raise my support from 34% to 40% sounds good. Scheduling open meetings every Friday in March is always risky, but I did with hands open to what God wills. Even as I write this, I am sitting in one of those coffee shops with my laptop open and the chair in front of me empty. Yet, as I catch up on email and blogging, I see this newsletter in my inbox from Missions Catalyst.

Notably, this quote strikes me, 

“I want things to happen fast. I delight in the rapid movements to Jesus we increasingly hear about. But I know one of God’s basic units of work is the transformation of the human heart and that usually takes time. As do learning a language, shifting the missional direction of a church, or opening eyes that have by years of habit been closed to certain works of God. We need determination over time.

William Carey, when asked late in life how he accomplished so much, replied, “I can plod. I can persevere in any definite pursuit. To this I owe everything.” (Read more.)

It’s that grit, that determination, that helped Carey and so many others live lives that qualify them to be on the “of whom the world was not worthy” list in Hebrews 11. Don’t grow weary of doing good (Galatians 6:9), and don’t give up praying (Luke 18). God will bring about his results through you.”

Plodding is my new word. As I sip a latte, look up expectantly each time the door to the coffee shop opens, I focus on plodding. I answer emails, write blogs, meet deadlines, and go to my day job.

And I dream! I dream of doing only one job. I dream of the new normal. That dream and hope keeps me plodding; that, and seeing the results of this calling as I serve in active ministry. I am learning about God through this plodding, leaning heavily on Him every day, and understanding that this plodding has a purpose.

Building relationships take patience and time. Creating change in the church takes time. Raising support takes time. This waiting and plodding is building up the kind of endurance that I’ll need in the next phase of this journey.

Will you pray with me? 

Lamenting and Wrestling

When I run, all I can hear is the pounding of my feet on the trail nearly in sync with the rhythm of my heart. I feel the heaviness of the sun on my skin and the sweat dripping into my eyes. I do not wear ear buds on the trail for safety reasons so I am aware of every snap of a twig. Running is more than just healthy exercise.

It’s my time with God.

It’s where I wrestle with my emotions; even lament.

Lamenting is a new word learned from a book I finished reading this year called, No More Faking Fine by Esther Fleece.

She says about Lamenting, “Lament is defined as an expression of grief. As I take a look at Scripture, I see that God seeks out those of us who are in need of him. He meets people with his comfort, and with his peace. So for the purposes of this book, and this movement, we’re defining lament as an expression of grief that God meets us in.” 

Samuel Gill, a former worker with WorldVenture and now Life Coach in the Prescott area says this on his blog, “Most of us know that each snowflake has its own unique pattern. But do you know why? Each crystal acquires its unique pattern in its flight from the clouds down to earth. It is the result of a battle. As snow flakes pass through the atmosphere in their flight down to earth they encounter particles of dust and dirt. Thus the beauty of each snow flake is the result of conflict and pain.” 

Have you ever pined for something? Have you ever pursued that something in spite of “conflict and pain?” God is the King of patience–the long-suffering kind of patience. It’s about the journey.

The journey is one where Seth Godin says in No Way Out, “The best long-term approach might be to learn something, to tough it out, to engage with the challenge. Because once you get through this, you’ll be different. Better. We always have a choice, but often, it’s a good idea to act as if we don’t.”

When I run, I don’t see the curving trail, hugged by scrub oak and trees. I see my support journey, and the distant mountain peak as the end of one journey to begin another–reaching those online who, unlike Esther Fleece, may not share in the comfort of knowing our Lord.

Thank you, friends and supporters. Your gifts and support are, “…a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. (click here to read full verse).”

This Week…

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I’ve been thinking about this verse.

I’m writing this in a hotel somewhere. The words, “God’s love and Christ’s endurance,” in this verse has not let go of me. I’ve actually never thought of the last two words very deeply until now.

When I think of Christ’s endurance, I think of Him taking my sin on the cross. It sounds so simple said this way, but if you have watched the movie, The Passion, you’d understand His choice wasn’t so simple or painless. He endured.

And so must we…

Matthew Henry’s Commentary says:

“That a patient waiting for Christ may be joined with this love of God. There is no true love of God without faith in Jesus Christ. We must wait for Christ, which supposes our faith in him, that we believe he came once in flesh and will come again in glory: and we must expect this second coming of Christ, and be careful to get ready for it; there must be a patient waiting, enduring with courage and constancy all that we may meet with in the mean time: and we have need of patience, and need of divine grace to exercise Christian patience, the patience of Christ (as some read the word), patience for Christ’s sake and after Christ’s example.”

As I finish out the week, pray for Friday and Saturday. God knows…

 

Prayer Day Two: The Waiting #Patience

Wait on the Lord- be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart- wait, I say, on the Lord.

 

Pray today that I wait on the Lord on His timing, not my own. Don’t allow me to fall prey to the fears of the otherside or the doubts and insecurities that fill my mind once in a while. It is so easy to rush ahead. Pray I obey Him on everything.

Waiting In This In-Between Season

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I am in between where I started and where I want to go. The days are growing warmer, and I wonder where winter has hidden himself. Even the trees are confused. They bloom pink and white now, but a freeze is coming. It always comes before actual spring. Arizona weather is weird that way. It’s ironic that God is teaching me lessons in the waiting, in this in between season, when He knows I hate to wait.

 We all have to wait for something…

  • The grocery store line behind the woman and the cashier who are catching up on each others lives.
  • Results that are slow, because forming online communities are a slow process, much like making a roast where all the flavors have to have time to marry and soak into the meat.
  • Training will be life long for me as I learn from others who have gone before me.
  • Raising support so I can work full time in ministry.
  • Having to stop at every red light when you need to be somewhere. I think someone who controls them must intuitively know when a person is in a hurry and takes sadistic delight in making them stop at every red light.
One of the authors I am reading says not everyone will “get” our ministry. It takes time to help them understand the vision. If you give them too much, like a fine art painting of a bowl of fruit, they think it is impossible to accomplish. If you give them too little like an abstract painting with its lines and squiggles, they get a bad impression of the vision. The answer lies in Monet.

From a distance, you can see the whole picture, but up close the picture is created by a bunch of paint sploches. I need to be Monet when showing my vision to potential supporters. The author is correct though when he says it is an art form.

How many times have I written and rewritten my letters? How many different ways have I explained what I do?

I am grateful for the people coming alongside in this in between season of life as I look beyond the freeze of winter to the colors of spring and the heat of summer.

Reading: Developing a Strategy For Missions – 70% done

A Reason of Anticipation

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“I go to this class called Beatbox in Nashville, and it is really hard. It’s an hour long and as soon as it starts, I anticipate its ending. From the first minute, I can’t wait for the class to be over so we can do the cool down song and get out of there. Working out is hard, especially for someone who has little to no upper body strength. But you know what happens between the beginning of Beatbox and the end of Beatbox? Beatbox. The actual exercising part happens. Without the middle part, there would be no work out at all. There would be no reason to anticipate the ending because no work would have been done. There would be no results, no reason to feel proud of myself, no healthier me.” READ MORE

Waiting is an unavoidable part of missions. Right from the beginning, God teaches you patience. He helps you accept that the results you long to see won’t happen immediately. Missions online is not any different in some aspects than missions on foreign soil.

You must first gain the trust of the people group you are trying to befriend and mentor before they will accept truth.

Social Media, like face-to-face relationships, takes time.

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