Counter-Culture Jesus

Today we share some thought provoking insight from Cassandra over at “The Better Mom”:

How Jesus Turns Culture Upside-Down

“At the end of life we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made, how many great things we have done. We will be judged by ‘I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat, I was naked and you clothed me. I was homeless, and you took me in.’”
-Mother Teresa

The culture of today is all about increase. I must increase my education, my status, my income, my stuff. This is the true measure of worldly success. But as Christians, we are called to something completely different.

At the last supper before Jesus was crucified, He washed His disciples’ feet. The culture of the day said it was the lowest among them who should wash feet. The servant. The slave. But Jesus turns culture upside down, getting on His knees, showing true servanthood to His followers. I can almost feel the tension in the room as Peter argues with Jesus, not wanting the Lord to wash his dirty, smelly, desert battered toes.

After their meal, and the first ‘communion’, a conversation starts. The text reads:
“Within minutes they were bickering over who of them would end up the greatest. But Jesus intervened: “Kings like to throw their weight around and people in authority like to give themselves fancy titles. It’s not going to be that way with you. Let the senior among you become like the junior; let the leader act the part of the servant.

Who would you rather be: the one who eats the dinner or the one who serves the dinner? You’d rather eat and be served, right? But I’ve taken my place among you as the one who serves…” (Luke 22)

And again, in Matthew:
“Do you want to stand out? Then step down. Be a servant. If you puff yourself up, you’ll get the wind knocked out of you. But if you’re content to simply be yourself, your life will count for plenty.”

Jesus says the greatest in His Kingdom are the servants. Yes, the servants. The foot washers.

I love how counter-cultural Jesus calls us to live.

In a world where we rank people and classify each other based on things that don’t matter – Christ steps in and says, ‘No… you are children of God, you must live a different way.’

It is the servants among you who will be the greatest.

The nose wipers, the baby rockers, the laundry washers, the Moms who give of themselves for their family every single day. The Dad who plays tireless games of chase with the neighborhood kids who crave adult attention. Those who sit with the lonely in a nursing home and are never seen. The one who lends an arm to the elderly man at the grocery store and helps him to his car. The middle-aged woman who rocks babies who aren’t her own. Those who embrace the people who the world sees as worthless. The one who sits patiently at a bed side, rubbing a young child’s back until his fears are calmed and he falls into peaceful slumber.

The truth is, dear friend, if you are living a life of servanthood – you will likely have many days when you feel tired, worn out, and like no one cares or notices. You may not feel important today. But reject the lies and embrace the truth, precious one. If you are a servant, you are among the greatest in the Kingdom of God.

Praise God for this upside-down culture.

A Reminder on this National Day of Prayer

Submitted by Kay Owen

    

     Prayer should be important to all Christians at all times, but there are special seasons that call for special times of fasting and praying. I believe that this is such a time. We have been in a dry place in our families, our churches, our communities and in America. This is the year that the Lord is calling us to lay aside many things in our lives and go to our knees in prayer. “If My people who are called by My Name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sins and heal their land. Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)  

     I believe this place will be a place of intimacy with the Lord. In Psalm 91 the Lord calls us to come away to that secret place with Him, to know Him in an intimate way, as never before. Our prayer life is best energized when we experience intimacy with God’s heart. When we have been in that intimate place with God, our prayers will reflect where we have been. We can continue in that intimate place even when praying with others. Our hearts must be in communion with God in the “secret place,” even though physically we may be in a public place.  

      As we seek His face, as we pray the Word, as we pray as Jesus prayed--with power and authority--we will begin to see changes in ourselves, our families, our churches, our community and our nation. We should always have our ear tuned into the Holy Spirit when we pray, and as we develop a hearing ear—praying in faith, believing that the Lord loves us and wants very much to answer our prayers—changes will begin to take place. Prayer changes things!!

     Always pray specifically. Sometimes it helps to keep a prayer journal and write down for whom and what we are praying. Later on, it’s wonderful to look back and see all the answered prayers. And, always remember to give thanks to the Lord for your answered prayers. Ephesians 5:20 says, “Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”          

     If possible, set a time and place to pray. I have my “special” place to pray each morning. Jesus was able to pull aside and take that time to pray. He usually went to the Mount of Olivet or the Garden of Gethsemane. That was His usual place to pray (Luke 21:37). If it was important to Jesus, it should be important to us.

     This year at Crossroads Ministries, we have dedicated the first and second day of every month to prayer and fasting. I know the Lord wants to do something special this year in all of our lives, but it will take a sacrifice on our part. Sometimes we get too distracted with people and things that are not part of our destiny. This year, especially, we need to stay focused….our lives need to be God-centered, not self-centered. We need to know we are not alone in our prayers and that many others are joining us in this journey of prayer.

     Starting today, on this National Day of Prayer, let this be our prayer this year, “Lord, help us to burn with the passion of Christ. Let us not be satisfied with where we are individually or where we are as a family, as a church, as a community or as a nation. Stir our heart to be seekers of Your face.”  

“Even them I will bring to my holy mountain, and I will make joyful in My house of prayer.” Isaiah 56:7

     You can share your prayer requests with us at prayer@crossroadsusa.org  We’d be honored to pray for you, and as God answers, blessed to rejoice with you.

My Stomach Grumbleth
Submitted by Anita Schwartz:

I remember in church when I was a teenager that we not only had a prayer chain where people committed to pray a specific hour every day, but we had a “fasting chain” where people agreed to fast on one particular day of the week so that our congregation was praying and fasting 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Fasting is to abstain from food. Some more modern suggested fasts are fasting from social media, fasting from sarcasm or negative talk, and fasting from the news. There’s also fasting from food for one meal or during daylight hours.

I think all of the above are worthy and beneficial, but I would like to talk about fasting in the traditional sense. Have you ever fasted from all food for more than 24 hours for the express purpose of prayer? If you haven’t, you are definitely missing an opportunity to draw near to God in a very intimate way. As a bonus, James 4:8 tells us that if we draw near to God, He will draw near to us!

Jesus said in Matthew 6, “When you fast…,” not if, but when, as if he expected his followers to do so. I have found it a huge blessing to plan and dedicate times of fasting and prayer. When I am fasting for several days from food, I am reminded in a very physical way (stomach growling, weakness) multiple times, even hourly, throughout each day that I have a Maker who provides for my needs daily. When I feel hungry, but I continue fasting, I am reminded to be thankful for delicious foods and the ability to enjoy them. It’s also an opportunity to deny self and focus on God. Denying myself the comfort and sustenance of food for a time reminds me to praise God for even small blessings that I take for granted every day.

Each time I feel hunger, I remember to pray for those on my prayer list: a friend who recently had by-pass surgery, a young mother going through chemo as she battles breast cancer, a frightened little girl who is being relinquished by her adoptive parents and the family in Texas that is frantically going through paperwork and seeking financing to adopter her and provider her a family that will love her forever—and more. When I see everyone enjoying my favorite pizza and I want a bite, but I decline, I think of Jesus and the far greater sacrifice He made for us.

When I am weak from hunger, I must draw on strength from above, and I realize that “God is my refuge and STRENGTH,” (Psalm 46:1) and as little children often sing, “I am weak, but He is strong.” It is so easy for adults to forget the weakness and vulnerability we experienced as little children. When we were very small, we accepted that we were powerless to care for our own needs, to drive where we needed to go, to even survive without someone caring for us. We grew up and found that we could care for ourselves, and sometimes we forget that we still have One who cares for us, without whom we would not survive.

Throughout each day, I like to think that I am in constant prayer, that I have a running conversation going with my heavenly Father. But when I am fasting, I realize that I am in constant prayer at a much deeper level. Minute by minute, my growling stomach urges me to remember who it is that sustains me. I am constantly, constantly, in a powerful, tangible way, reminded to turn to God.

If you’ve never fasted from food—or if it’s been awhile since you’ve entered into several days of meditating on God and denying your physical desires—I believe that you may find fasting beneficial to drawing you closer to God. I am no Biblical scholar, but I know why fasting and prayer go hand in hand. Fasting makes me weak, needy, and powerless. Time spent in prayer makes Him strong, benevolent, and ever-present. I call that a win-win.

The Important Lesson of 9/11

It's 10 years later and we're all taking time to remember 9/11. We must never forget how we grieved as a nation, how we were all proud to be Americans and fly the flag, how prayer became a high priority in our lives.

But as you remember 9/11 -- where you were, what you felt -- we must not forget or overlook the most important lesson of that day... WE CANNOT TAKE LIFE FOR GRANTED. You never know which day is your last, so hug your kids (hard and often), hold your spouse's hand "just because," call your mother, reconnect with an old friend. All simple gestures, but always the biggest regrets to the people involved in any tragedy.

Sure, we could obsess about 9/11--the what if's, the could have beens--but nothing will change or improve the situation. See, death is a part of life no one can control, but we can say "I love you" anytime we want.

A few weeks after I got married, my husband and I moved to Washington state. It was the first time I was ever away from home. I had lived at home through college and even though I eventually moved into my own place, I was always just a 10 minute drive away from Mom and Dad. Now I was hundreds of miles away from home and everything familiar.

I didn't know anyone in Washington and so the phone became my lifeline. This was before the day of unlimited calling plans, Skype, mobile chats and cell phones, so our monthly phone bills were pretty hefty. But, my sweet husband knew that a large phone bill was less expensive than flying me home every couple of weeks. That time on the phone became precious and I realized that I never knew when--or if--I would get to talk to Mom and Dad again, so I resolved never again to hang up the phone without saying "I love you" to the special people in my life. That still holds true today even though we're back to living just a few minutes apart. I don't want to take life for granted.

My hope on this 9/11 anniversary is that for every moment we are reminded of all we lost 10 years ago, that we give a hug or an "I love you" to those still here. Let's celebrate the life--although not always perfect--we are so blessed to have. If we celebrate in the face of tragedy, we'll show the world what it means to live in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

If You Could See Me Now

R.I. P. - Gerald Owen. Well done, good and faithful servant. Great is your reward. This song is exactly how I picture you today and for eternity. You will be missed.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QICc9bCRbTM

Hope in the Face of Suffering

Difficult things in life… We’ve had our fair share around the Crossroads Ministries office lately. I know you have, too. So that got me to thinking about suffering. As I started going through scriptures, I realized that God has a lot to say about it, too.
“When you walk through the valley, I will be there.” Did you catch that? When, not if, so there will be valleys in our lives. After all, it’s the very difficult things in our lives that God often uses to remind us that He is near. If there were no suffering, would we know what true joy is? The Apostle Paul got it when he said, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18)
Paul was a person, who for the sake of Christ, suffered. He also asked the Lord to remove the thorn that afflicted him, and three times God told Paul that His grace was enough to help Paul through the pain and suffering. God didn’t leave the thorn because he was mad at Paul, but because in Paul’s weakness, God’s strength was able to shine forth. That’s why Paul was able to say, “Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed and am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day.” (2 Timothy 1:12)
God’s grace is enough because He has said He would share in the fellowship of our suffering. That’s a pretty heavy revelation. I think we all come to a point in life when, after having followed the detour signs on life’s journey for a while, we suddenly realize that the detour is the road that God had for us to follow all along. God remains faithful even when things don’t turn out the way we expected them to. We just have to be willing to offer complete surrender to God’s plans knowing that while we may bend, He won’t allow us to break.
I think that’s why the song “Blessings” by Laura Story speaks to me so deeply. She asks God, “What if the trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?” I’ve attached a link to the song below. I hope it ministers to you and challenges your way of thinking about suffering and about God’s blessings. The pain and suffering in this life only remind our hearts that this is not our home. “And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance character; and character, hope.” (Romans 5:2-4) We have HOPE… His name is Jesus.

“Blessings” by Laura Story: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMeFzFUbmJo&feature=related

Crossroads Ministries USA
P.O. Box 62697
Colorado Springs, CO 80962
719-635-5767
http://www.crossroadsusa.org/ (Donate securely online)

Blessed in Aging

Blessed are they who understand
my faltering step and shaking hand
Blessed, who know my ears today must strain to hear the things they say.
Blessed are those who seem to know my eyes are dim and my mind is slow
Blessed are those who look away when I spilled tea that weary day.
Blessed are they who, with cheery smile, stopped to chat for a little while
Blessed are they who know the way to bring back memories of yesterday.
Blessed are those who never say, “You’ve told that story
twice today”
Blessed are they who make it known that I am loved,
respected and not alone.
And blessed are they who will ease the days of
my journey home, in loving ways.

Join us for our next Volunteer Training Class on March 26, 2011 from 9:00-12:30. Call 719-635-5767 for more information or to reserve your seat or email anita@crossroadsusa.org

Woodmen Valley Chapel (Rockrimmon campus)
290 E. Woodmen Road - ROOM 107
Colorado Springs, CO 80918

(Directions: From I-25 take Woodmen Road west. At second stoplight follow Woodmen right. Turn right into parking lot just past green-roofed apartments and follow signs to Main Building. Park on east side and enter east doors - Room 107.)