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: , , ,
6 September 2013 God Says it Best

God Says it Best

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On my last trip to Uganda, I was asked to speak to the older girls about sexual purity. I felt my heart sink.

Many of you know that my husband, Duncan Hill, started Uganda Orphans Fund in 2002 to rescue orphans and children at risk. On my first trip to Uganda, over ten years ago, I had asked a Ugandan woman named Eva the hard questions about AIDS in Africa. “This is catastrophic! Why don’t people talk about AIDS over here?”

She spoke calmly, explaining that their culture had deep roots in polygamy. In modern times, that translated to promiscuity—almost a male “right.” On top of that, women in Africa are far more dependent on men. “In your country, women are independent,” she said. “If a man puts sexual pressure on a woman, she can say ‘No.’ But here in Africa, if a young woman goes to work and her boss imposes on her—to refuse is the equivalence of anarchy.” In other words, she stands to lose everything. So men get AIDS and expose others, including their wives.

At the time, great efforts to stem the tide were already underway in Uganda. HIV rates had reached epidemic proportions in the 80s, but declined in the 90s due to a government campaign called “ABC”—Abstinence, Be faithful, or Condoms. Reports showed that promoting abstinence and monogamy were most essential in reversing the devastating spread of AIDS.

But cultural changes are not that easy.Continue reading

Filed Under: 2013, Biblical Foundations, Character of God, Dreams Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,
29 August 2013 God Speaks Through “Place”

God Speaks Through “Place”

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My friend wrote about driving past a certain side road on his way home from the beach. A powerful feeling emerged. That particular road held strong emotional history for him. Still, he went on his way. What kept him from turning down that memory-laden lane?

The Beatles wrote about relationship with “places.”

“There are places I remember all my life, though some have changed.

Some forever not for better; some have gone, and some remain.

All these places have their moments, of lovers and friends I still can recall.

Some are dead and some are living. In my life I loved them all.”

It’s natural to associate memories with exact spots of real estate, but more importantly, God can speak through place.

The golden days of my childhood are largely contained in a place called Crayhaven—a cluster of cabins by the deep blue waters of the French River, in the northern woods of Ontario. Much of my early spiritual history happened in those scenes—whether swimming off the dock, or venturing into the stillness of mossy-carpeted woods, or warming my legs in front of a crackling fire.

My grandfather built the first cabin in 1938, and my grandmother christened it by writing a short poem called, “The Crayhaven Creed”…

            Here is a place to rest, a time for relaxation.

            Here Nature’s at her best, releasing you from frustration.

            Here’s a place for laughter, a place where friend meets friend.

            Discord must not enter, nor wills be made to bend.

            Here God’s love surrounds us. Let’s listen to His will.

            Not always in loud voices, but by sometimes being still.

With gentle words, she urged me to listen for God—and her invitation took. Over the years, I whispered many things to God in that place. And He whispered back.Continue reading

Filed Under: 2013, Dreams, Experiencing God, Hearing God's Voice, Relationships Tagged With: , , , ,
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