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Showing posts from October, 2011

Are You Living the Dream?

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About once a year, I have a dinner party where I invite two couples and instruct them to each invite another couple who I wouldn’t know so we have 10 people around the table; two couples of which I am meeting for the first time. When the guests arrive, each guest is given a number which corresponds to a table seat and at every seat I’ve placed a question to ask another person; their evening’s mission is to find the answer. The questions vary from what is their most daring accomplishment to what type of animal do they best relate. It’s an evening my Man, who is an introvert, looks forward to every year (not) but his involvement is an incredible testament to how much I am loved. My favourite question is to ask is to find out what their childhood dream was and if they are living their dream as an adult. This week on Kingdom Bloggers , I’ve posed the question to the others. I can’t wait to learn about the others, and while we’re sharing our childhood dreams, why don’t you answer the qu

Lies Christians Believe #1

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It grieves the heart of the Father to see his children walking and living in defeat. John 10 tells us the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy, and by a quick survey of many North American churches, it appears we’ve rolled over and bared our bellies; not believing we have a choice in the matter as the enemy plunders the fruit of our lives. It’s wrong and it must stop, but it won’t until we replace the lies the enemy has been telling us for years with the truth God desires to reveal to us. A few months ago I had a heart to heart conversation with a friend who was struggling with passion for Christ. She had many concerns in her life – parenting, financial, work, relationships. She was weary by the constant struggle. I felt powerless to offer practical encouragement but then she said something that made me realize what the root problem was. She said, “Maybe God wants me to hit rock bottom, so that I’ll call out to him.” Ummm, back up a step – wrong. What she was saying is th

Developing a Culture of Honor

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I was shocked when I learned I’d spend eternity in heaven with Catholics, or Anglicans, or any other denomination that was different than my own. Seriously, I was surprised. When I was younger and I met someone who professed to be a Christian, I would politely probe a little deeper to find out what kind of Christian they were and if they admitted they went to the United Church or something equally liberal, which equated to godlessness - or worse, Catholic - I immediately made a judgement. “Oh, they aren’t really a Christian,” I thought. Oh, come on now, I’m not the only one. I didn’t learn to think like this in a vacuum. When the Alpha craze swept across churches around the world in the mid 1990’s; even Catholic churches were participating – that gave me cause to pause. During the same time, I was part of an informal prayer group of women. Eight or nine women gathered around the dinner table of my dear, late friend (you can read about her here ), and pray. Among us 5 or 6 churches

Catching a Reflection of God in the Rearview Mirror

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I am a homebody; I love hanging out at home and living my everyday life. It’s comforting, but at the same time, too much of a routine can lead to complacency and our spiritual eyesight can become dull. Sometimes, a change of scenery brings a fresh jolt from the Spirit, which causes us to sit up and take notice. Everyone needs a ‘pop’ in our faith journey and this week on Kingdom Bloggers we are writing about a time when God met us on a road trip. This week, we also welcome Dave Tvedt . For those that have been reading Kingdom Bloggers for a long time will remember him. I’ve recently met him online and from the excitement that Joyce and Tony express, I’m looking forward to getting to know him more. As for now, I just think of him like his caricature – short, bald and a big head. We welcome Dave, but say good-bye (at least for a while) to Tracy Chiara. Tracy is a sensitive, thought-provoking writer but her non-virtual life has been overwhelming for the past while and it’s necessary

Opposite Day

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If you ask me to manage an office, I could do that. If you ask me to edit a document so it is client-ready, I’d say yes with confidence. If you ask me to lead a Sunday School group, I would have no problem. If you me a question about Scripture, I’ll probably have an answer. I’ve studied and put in a significant amount of time regarding these activities and I’ve gained wisdom through experience. Most people start at the bottom and work their way up to reach the top echelon. It takes time. It is virtually unheard of for a university graduate to be offered the CEO or CFO position. Instead, the graduate must start in an entry management position before climbing the corporate ladder. Even an uneducated person can reach the top, but it takes longer than a university graduate. Why then would the Lord use a group of ragamuffin tradesmen to lead a movement that changed the world? All of the original apostles, save Paul, were uneducated with no perceived political clout or honour. It’s lik

Pair O' Dime Shift

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Yesterday morning I returned home from a trip to Bethel Church in Redding, CA. When the host who offered us accommodation showed us to our room last Wednesday, she pointed to the mirror. On either side of the mirror were two dimes put in place by faith (for real, no glue). She said to me and my friend, “I want you to have a pair o’ dime shift when you are here.” I was in agreement because it would be tragic to travel all that distance to have a God encounter and leave unchanged. My expectation was high because I had a vision of Jesus presenting me a present, wrapped in brown paper and tied with a red bow. I was excited to open it and I had anticipation that the present was related to the pair o’ dime shift I was invited to have by our host. Nothing happened on Wednesday, or Thursday. Nothing happened on Friday morning, or Friday afternoon. My anticipation was building because the conference was over on Friday evening. On Friday night, I was sitting beside a man from Idaho; he had

Your Turn - 3 Questions for You

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Every week, Kingdom Bloggers write about personal experiences, sharing our joys and struggles. We learn from each other by sharing stories but this week, we want to learn about our readers. Every day, each writer will be asking 3 questions to you. We were going to go with 20 Questions but Tony can't count that high, so 3 it is. We're asking everything from the meaningful to mundane. Click here , to see the questions and add your two bits.

You Can Never Go Home Again

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Exile, whether literal or figurative, self-imposed or forced, is at the root of spiritual growth and maturity. It is when we are in exile that we wrestle with the “big” issues in life. Who am I?   Who is God? Why am I in this place? Does anyone care that I’m in this place? Jeremiah, the prophet tells us that God says to us, “Call to me and I will answer and tell you great unsearchable things you do not know.” Exile forces us to ask the deeper questions, and God promises an answer. One thing I will say is certain: once you’ve been exiled, you can never go home again. The patriarch Jacob offers insight into the overall sense of complacency that the Israelites had just prior to their exile in 597BC. God established a covenant with Abraham, to him and all his descendants afterward. Jacob, born two generations later, understood the covenant and grew up under it but never quite grasped the impact.   I read the narrative of Jacob and imagine he grew up with a sense of self-importance a