26 September 2013 Signposts – Part II

Signposts – Part II

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Okay, now things get interesting.

Yes, I experienced a genuine healing from a medical condition never known to resolve (Writer’s Cramp). Talk about a sign. But, instead of acting on my pastor’s words, I stalled. Why? Because I failed to see myself as a writer. And more importantly, I didn’t have any vision for what God wanted me to write.

Consider these words from Oswald Chambers: (paraphrased, July 6th entry)

         We always have visions, before a thing is made real. Although the vision is real, it’s not real in you. The vision isn’t a castle in the air, but a vision of what God wants you to be. 

          God gives you the vision and then takes you down in the valley to batter you into the shape of the vision. He puts you through fires and floods to get you to the place where He can trust you with the veritable reality. Over and over again, you might try to escape from His hand. In the valley, many faint and give way. But every vision will be made real, if you have patience. Think of the enormous leisure of God.

         Don’t lose heart in the process. If you’ve ever had a vision from God, you may try as you like to be satisfied on a lower level, but God will never let you.

During those years of stalling, some interesting signposts popped up along the way. God began pointing to my design, as He geared up to impart vision.Continue reading

Filed Under: 2013, Character of God, Destiny, Dreams, Experiencing God, God, God's design, Hearing God's Voice, Purpose, Relationships, Visions Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,
19 September 2013 Signposts – Part I

Signposts – Part I

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Someone once said writing is like driving at night. The headlights illuminate a limited distance, but you can make the whole trip that way.

My journey into writing began in that fashion. God provided light for the “next step.” He prodded me with signposts, advancing me little by little. Though slow on the uptake, I realize now that finding purpose usually involves years of preparation. Here’s how it happened to me.

One day, over 25 years ago, I could barely address an envelope—a troubling realization. Tiny muscles in my hand simply froze, and I couldn’t move the pen. Fearing it was symptomatic of something far worse, I went to two different neurologists. Both came up with a condition known as, “Writers Cramp.” While that term is used interchangeably with “Writer’s Block,” it’s not the same. Writer’s Cramp is a medical anomaly that’s physical, not mental. And, it’s not from overuse like Carpal Tunnel. In fact, they don’t understand what causes it, and no known case has ever improved.

In a way, I felt relieved. The major motor muscles in my hand still worked. I could play piano and type. Other people coped with worse disabilities. Mine seemed relatively benign.

Then…Continue reading

Filed Under: 2013, Biblical Foundations, Character of God, Destiny, Dreams, Experiencing God, Hearing God's Voice, Purpose Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,
12 September 2013 Destiny and Design

Destiny and Design

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The word “destiny” can trigger some eye rolling. A Monty-Python sort of cynicism rises up to mock the idea!

But destiny is not mystical or corny. It’s not about fame and fortune, either. Destiny is about purpose. Our particular destiny is intimately woven into our design, our DNA, the very things God created in us from the start. Yet, sometimes we don’t discover those deeper passions and purposes without His help. And often it’s altered from what we first imagined.

In my book, Closer Than Your Skin, I tell about Vincent van Gogh’s early days, when he wanted to be a pastor. For a while, he ministered with great sincerity and zeal in Borinage, a poor mining district in Belgium. He worked in the mines alongside his parishioners. He shared their afflictions and gave them almost all his earthly possessions. But in the end, the church did not renew his contract. At that very low point in his life, his passion turned to art.

Now consider the young Oswald Chambers. He loved art. Schooling developed his natural ability. So bent on pursuing art, he even said,

“I shall never go into the ministry until God takes me by the scruff of the neck and throws me in.”[i]

But one day, a devout man told Chambers with great conviction that his true calling was in ministry. Chambers had to hear for himself. He spent the night on a hillside near Edinburgh, crying out for confirmation. And sometime during the night, he heard an audible voice say, “I want you in My service…”

Of course Van Gogh went on to become a world famous artist. He told his brother, Theo, he wanted his paintings to reflect what God is like. Chambers ended up writing, My Utmost For His Highest, the most popular devotional book of all time. Their contributions left a mark, though it turned out differently than either man thought.

Picture Saul of Tarsus—persecutor of Christians! Later as Paul, he wrote letters in prison not knowing his ink on paper would be canonized for us as Scripture. Talk about a flip! God can unfold the plan for each of us, if we will watch and listen for the stirrings of His Spirit.

Many people feel stuck when it comes to purpose—“What should I do with my life?Continue reading

Filed Under: 2013, Destiny, Experiencing God, God's design, Hearing God's Voice, Purpose Tagged With: , , ,
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