Every Purpose, Every Season

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens. Ecclesiastes 3:1

"How will we know when to act, when to wait? How will we know when it is our time to lead rather than our time to follow? Discernment calls us to spiritual understanding but also to action." Henri Nouwen

Earlier this year, I spent some time considering discernment; what does discernment mean and how do I apply it to my faith journey. Some of the very questions Nouwen identified above called me to explore discernment. How do I know when to wait? How do I wait? When is waiting just avoiding action? When does following become the easy answer? What if stepping out in action is not God's purpose for this season of life? How can the soul discern God's purpose anyway? The answers are myriad. Perhaps somewhat of a paradox, the path of discernment can be both clouded by uncertainty and fueled by possibility.

In the weeks to come, let's take a journey together as we explore discernment, evaluate where we are in the process, examine how to find God's purpose. Of all the unknowns, this truth remains: God has a plan, a specific plan for every person. God desires us to know His plan for our lives and gives us not only the insight to find the purpose but also equips for the chosen task. Proverbs 16:9 reminds us, "The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps." God will reveal the best plan for our lives, the best purpose for our energies, while we frequently settle for the better way. Let's seek His purpose in this season, whatever that may individually mean. ~dho

"Beauty in the Breaking"

"I will always show you where to go. I'll give you a full life in the emptiest of places - firm muscles, strong bones. You'll be like a well-watered garden, a gurgling spring that never runs dry. You'll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew, rebuild the foundations from out of your past..." Isaiah 58:11-12 The Message

Nicole Nordeman's new release, "The Unmaking", reminds us that within our disappointments, failures, vain efforts, difficult decisions, and circumstances beyond our understanding God meets us. She writes, God "wanted to sit with me in the silence and the dust, after the wrecking ball, and put His arms around me for a while." Nordeman says God wasn't asking for a new plan of action; rather, "He asked for my vulnerability." 

God desires that we turn to Him, seek His Presence, and allow Him to comfort us! In the mess, the muck, the middle of the ruins of lost hope and broken dreams God is waiting. He always finds us in our need. Nordeman writes, "the rubble is where we have to start." Listen to this beautiful song of sifting through the debris, defining an ending, seeing the hope in a new beginning. Listen to the open, sincere whispers of the heart, "What happens now?...What happens next when all of you is all that's left?...This is the unmaking, beauty in the breaking...sitting in the rubble..." ~dho

"The Unmaking" by Nicole Nordeman (click link to video)

Faith in the Moments

"A waiting person is someone who is present to the moment, believing that this moment is the moment."
Henri Nouwen



Affirmation of faith:
"We believe that Jesus Christ is Lord. He is the Lord of yesterday, today and tomorrow. He is the Lord over life and death.
We believe that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. With His help we can remain faithful when tempted, peaceful when troubled, and loving when opposed.
We believe that in all things we can be more than conquerors. For neither death nor life, neither the present nor the future, neither suffering nor trials can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen."

God's love finds us where we are whether we are suffering or shouting hallelujah's! Because God desires a relationship with us, He longs to share in our days, whether they are long and full or hurried and fragile or few and peaceful. God walks with us so closely that sometimes we can miss Him ~ especially when everything seems so easy, so good, so simple. I believe only God can make days like these.

From a familiar hymn, these words remind me to be aware of time:

Take my moments and my days,

Let them flow in ceaseless praise.*

In the coming days, whatever comes, I believe we God finds us in these moments. Remain faithful to this Holy God and be aware of His presence! ~ dho
* hymn Take My Life, and Let It Be

Pentecost!

This Sunday marks Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit recorded in Acts 2. This happened during the Feast of Pentecost, a celebration of the Jewish people which occurs "seven weeks after the second Passover seder". This Jewish celebration, known as Shavout, commemorates the "giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai" or what Christians understand as The Law (Ten Commandments) given to Moses. As Believers in Christ, Pentecost for us celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit, promised to come after Jesus' resurrection and ascension into heaven. Because humanity can never keep the law perfectly, God rescues us. Grace through Jesus completes us, restores us, and reconciles us to God in a way the law could not.

The following will be the last excerpt from my personal Lenten journal this 2015 season:

[Jesus said to His disciples] “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you what He promised…in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Acts 1:4-5 NLT

After the resurrection, Jesus remains for forty days, appearing to the apostles and teaching the disciples. With a certainty of Jesus’ resurrection, their knowledge increases and a deeper understanding about the new promised power of the Holy Spirit evolves. At the end of these days, on the Mount of Olives at Bethany, Jesus ascends to heaven right in front of the remaining eleven disciples. Commissioned with making disciples of all nations, they now wait for the Holy Spirit.

Over the next days, the disciples continually meet and pray together with the other believers, “about 120”. They choose another disciple, Matthias, to replace Judas Iscariot, the betrayer. On the day of Pentecost, seven weeks (50 days) after the resurrection of Jesus, with all the believers together in one place, God sends a mighty, rushing wind comes and then “flames of fire” appear and settle on each believer. All are filled with the Holy Spirit, fulfilling prophesy (Joel 2:28-32). The church of the New Covenant begins with God’s mission to reach all people in all nations.

Spirit of the Living God ~ When I boast of achievement and accept applause or cover my face in failure and weep, You re-define me, re-align my perspective. You open my eyes to truth, to my need for redemption, to Christ who is the Bread of Life. You are Counselor and Comforter. You are the breath my soul craves! Kindle my soul with Holy Fire. ~dho

A Crowd of Unbelief

a personal glimpse into my recent Lenten journey...As we are still in the season before Pentecost, my thoughts continue to reflect on the revelations the Holy Spirit during Lent!

The people began to murmur in disagreement… We know his father and mother. How can he say, ‘I came down from heaven?’ John 6:41-42 NLT

Unbelief denies even the possibility of Jesus’ divinity. Hostility towards Jesus grows even more during His last months on earth. How could this man, a carpenter from Nazareth, be the Son of God, come down from heaven? Strong rejection of Jesus’ revelation spreads through this crowd. What makes believing so difficult?

Some 2,000 years later, the crowd still struggles to believe in the authenticity of Jesus’ identity. The Good News remains the same today ~ Believe in Jesus and have everlasting life! Some want proof, others want more miracles. Many simply ignore the message, create their own truths. Hostility towards Jesus grows as the days until His return shortens. Christians do not know when Jesus will come back to earth or exactly how that will look, but we do believe that Jesus is the Son of God, the Living Manna from heaven for a hungry world.

Lord, there are crowds wandering, murmuring unbelief, and its people suffer great injustices. Without everlasting hope, the possibilities are few and the disappointments are many. Starving spiritually and unaware, anger and rage take control. “Lord, always give us this bread.” Help me feed this hungry world. – dho

Focus Point: Christians do not know when Jesus will come back to earth or exactly how that will look, but we do believe that Jesus is the Son of God, the Living Manna from heaven for a hungry world.

FAITH IS...

Women's Bible Study ~ Snyder Memorial Baptist Church

Fayetteville, NC

From Impossible to Possible!

a personal glimpse into my recent Lenten journey! Donna Oswalt/2005

Throughout the Bible, God does the impossible with less, the miraculous with little. Most of us seldom give sacrificially; seldom do we even give generously. Like feeding 20,000 people with a small boy's lunch, Jesus takes our sparse offerings and multiplies them for the blessings of others. Consumerism stands on every corner luring us to spend money. What a contrast between how much we spend on a TV to watch the world's news and what we give to share the Good News of Christ! With God, the impossible becomes possible! ~ dho

Junk-food of the World

a personal glimpse into my recent Lenten journey! - Donna Oswalt/2015

Spiritual famine happens when we fail to recognize the presence of God in our daily moments, when we no longer find joy in serving God, when we forget God's promises. Self-reliance and self-satisfaction take the place of depending on God. We choose the demons of boredom and anger and disappointment; they consume us, not feed us. Only the Bread of Life can provide the spiritual nourishment that renews hope, strengthens resolve, and conquers evil. People all around us are starving, sometimes even you and me! Remember - God provides! - dho

After The Resurrection

...Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! "Peace be with you," He said. John 20:19

Like many of you, I worshiped Easter Sunday among family and friends, with overflowing crowds, hearing amazing music and the Good News! While I was not at home but at a lovely chapel at the beach, the scenes and sounds and sermon were the same, except the ocean was across the street! There is something different about worshiping on Easter Sunday that refreshes the mind and renews the heart and replenishes the soul. Worshiping among friends emphasizes community just as being welcomed into a chapel by the seashore.

In the days to come, I hope you reflect on your personal journey to the cross this Easter season. As Lent ends, my blogging will return to weekly (or more, but not daily), and I will be sharing some of my personal discoveries this season. Hearing some of your soul revelations would be great, and I hope you will share them here in the comments or on Mangrove Ministries' Facebook page. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! Celebrating the Resurrection is simply the beginning! - dho

Jesus says, "Peace be with you!"

EASTER Sunday ~ God's Faithfulness in Us

God’s Faithfulness ~ Our Everlasting Hope!

LORD, You are my God; I will exalt You and praise Your name, for in perfect faithfulness

You have done wonderful things, things planned long ago. Isaiah 25:1 NIV

During this season of reflection and renewal, join me in exploring God’s Faithfulness. Do you find strength for every circumstance in God’s Faithfulness? God IS Faithful!  God’s Faithfulness is our everlasting Hope! ~ Donna Oswalt

A life of faith does not consist of acts of worship or of great self-denial and heroic virtues, but of all the daily, conscious acts of our lives.

Oswald Chambers

Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True … And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. Revelation 19:11-16 NKJV

The resurrection of Christ invites faithfulness to a new standard. Christ calls us to be people of faith, identifies us as His faithful people, and affords us the opportunity to be faithful in worship, obedience, study and service. God longs for His character and truth to be reflected in the lives of His people. KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS, the One who is called Faithful and True, challenges each of us to live faithfully, to live by His own example.

Our faithfulness cannot be limited to religious activities or righteous deeds but must secure its foundation in the faithful promises of God. In Christ, we can love without perfection, have certainty without understanding, experience peace within grief. When God dwells in the hearts of His people, we have new awareness, new insight, and new hope. The Holy Spirit empowers us to see those living on the margins, to offer Bread of Life to a starving world, and to retell the stories of God’s faithfulness.

El Shaddai, Immanuel, LORD of Lords – Hallelujah! Christ has died! Christ is risen! Christ will come again! Such an offering leaves my heart in wordless praise, with endless wonder. Great is Your faithfulness! You take me to Your high places of blessing! I pray to stand firm in my faith, to listen for Your voice, to respond to Your calling. Perfect Love, You pour unmeasured Grace over me. Your faithfulness is everlasting! Amen! –dho

Focus Point: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS, the One who is called Faithful and True, challenges each of us to live faithfully, to live by His own example.

All rights reserved; copyright 2015 by Donna Oswalt/Co-Founder of Mangrove Ministries/Christian blogger and author Breathing Room For My Soul (blog) Follow on Twitter @soulchat

For more information about this ministry visit ~

MangroveMinistries.org

LIKE Mangrove Ministries on Facebook

“May you be blessed by the Lord Who loves you best!”

Faithfulness Beyond Death ~ Lent 2015

God’s Faithfulness ~ Our Everlasting Hope!

LORD, You are my God; I will exalt You and praise Your name, for in perfect faithfulness

You have done wonderful things, things planned long ago. Isaiah 25:1 NIV

During this season of reflection and renewal, join me in exploring God’s Faithfulness. Do you find strength for every circumstance in God’s Faithfulness? God IS Faithful!  God’s Faithfulness is our everlasting Hope! ~ Donna Oswalt

…And by His stripes we are healed…My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities… Because He poured His soul into death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. Isaiah 53 NKJV

This is the 4^th Servant Song in Isaiah and depicts Christ as the Suffering Servant. Take time to read the Scripture in full, savor the descriptions, hear the prophecy centuries old. In Isaiah, we learn the Messiah will come as a Suffering Servant and as King. On His first advent, Jesus enters as the servant, the One who bears the punishment for our sins. As Jesus dies, many express disappointment and disbelief that the man nailed to the cross could be the Messiah. Good Friday ends leaving His disciples broken and confused; the body of Jesus is placed in a borrowed tomb. This Sabbath day, they must physically rest from work, but they mourn for what they do not understand.

Prophecy about the Messiah coming as King continues to be unfulfilled. We are still waiting and watching. On His second advent, His Second Coming, Christ will come as King over all. His power will be astonishing, His Light will be radiant, and His judgment will be final. The time for brokenness and mourning will end for all believers. When this end comes, will you know everlasting Sabbath-Rest, will you rejoice in salvation through faith in Christ? Then our eyes shall see the infinite faithfulness of God.  

King of kings, the ancient Scriptures reveal the plan of a holy God. You gently came into the world bringing love and compassion, and left through the violence of the cross. You did this for me, but I can hardly comprehend the offering… He poured His soul into death; I can scarcely imagine the willingness… He bore the sin of many; I can barely hear the words… by His stripes we are healed. Great is Your faithfulness, then, now, and in all that is still to come!  -dho

Focus Point: Messiah will come as a Suffering Servant and as King.

All rights reserved; copyright 2015 by Donna Oswalt/Co-Founder of Mangrove Ministries/Christian blogger and author Breathing Room For My Soul (blog) Follow on Twitter @soulchat

For more information about this ministry visit ~

MangroveMinistries.org

LIKE Mangrove Ministries on Facebook

“May you be blessed by the Lord Who loves you best!”