My mom as she grows older and more beautiful, can’t sleep as well. So she wakes up last night, thinking of me, and hears this ancient poem, as she knows i love the creatures and meet Him through the earth. I hope that i age as well as that! Thinking of others, when I can’t sleep well!

  So, i too, sing poems to the sons and daughters when i, and we, cannot sleep well; here’s what she texted from an old hymn:

“For the beauty of the earth, For the glory of the skies. For the Love which from our birth over and around us lies; Christ our God to thee we raise, this our hymn of grateful praise.

For the beauty of the the hour of the day and of the night, hill and dale and tree and flower, sun and moon and stars so bright. Lord of all to Thee we raise, this our hymn of grateful praise.” Thanks mom, appreciate you and your prayer songs for us all. My mom is a cool lady! And sometimes, it’s good to hear the old songs…of love and appreciation.

Here’s the whole hymn:

1.    For the beauty of the earth,

for the glory of the skies,

for the love which from our birth

over and around us lies;

Lord of all, to thee we raise

this our hymn of grateful praise.

2.    For the beauty of each hour

of the day and of the night,

hill and vale, and tree and flower,

sun and moon, and stars of light;

Lord of all, to thee we raise

this our hymn of grateful praise.

3.    For the joy of ear and eye,

for the heart and mind’s delight,

for the mystic harmony,

linking sense to sound and sight;

Lord of all, to thee we raise

this our hymn of grateful praise.

4.    For the joy of human love,

brother, sister, parent, child,

friends on earth and friends above,

for all gentle thoughts and mild;

Lord of all, to thee we raise

this our hymn of grateful praise.

5.    For thy church, that evermore

lifteth holy hands above,

offering up on every shore

her pure sacrifice of love;

Lord of all, to thee we raise

this our hymn of grateful praise.

6.    For thyself, best Gift Divine,

to the world so freely given,

for that great, great love of thine,

peace on earth, and joy in heaven:

Lord of all, to thee we raise

this our hymn of grateful praise.

  Not a bad text to get in the middle of the night from your mom! I like the older poems  and persons of thanks! They seem richer somehow.

 How the symbolic works in prayer, worship and interface with the spiritual realm through Jesus. God is symbolic, and one strata of His communications occur through symbols. Dreams are an obvious form, but everything has a symbolic dimension of meaning. How we interpret symbols is part of how we interpret God.

Ministry to God comes before ministry to others. When we are ministering to God, we are lifted into His realm, as much as His Spirit guides us into it. We do not just take drugs and break into heaven, we are led there by His Spirit. Seated with Christ above. We have heavenly access because the Life and Ongoing work of Jesus.

  Now when we pray and worship we place ourselves in an orientation of entering the spiritual realm where He is. This is normal for a believer. It is not really mysticism, but we go where our Lord is, and we gain strength to return and bless from being in His Presence.

A lots of christians avoid the symbolic aspect of who God is. But when we do, we miss much of what even the bible is talking about. Jesus symbolized things. He modeled made patterns for us to live by. We need to read that symbolic dimension to understand who He is.

  Intepreting art is practice for interpreting the spiritual realm in its symbolic dimensions. Love is the center of all the realms, as God is Love.

He is also Light therefore wants to illuminate, to bring truer understanding. The Holy Spirit among other things, guides us into all truth. This includes an understanding of the symbolic dimensions. Again, dreams and visions and prayer impressions are all spoken in symbol.

 God likes to communicate through symbols. He symbolizes Himself! So we understand Him, and therefore love Him more.

Jesus taught often in symbols as well.

  I want to dymystify myticism. When we pray, we see things, get impressions, feel His Heart towards something. This is symbolic communion. We get to know God through symbols. It’s another area of meeting Him, tabernacling. All of life is meant to be a tabernacle of meeting God—marriage, taking out trash, going to work—the whole of life is a potential place of communion.

Spiritual perception is seeing by our spirit through His Spirit into the spiritual realm. God is Spirit, so we have to move in and by the spirit to understand something from His Perspective.

  Spiritual perception then, is seeing things more as they truly are. It’s not an uber mystical activity really, but it is supernatural.

  When we say we look at something spiritually, we are also looking at how the spiritual realm interfaces with the natural realm. God is incarnational, so He, who is Spirit enter into that which is natural. There is a way to two interface. When we pray, we start to see as Elisha’s disciple the spiritual realm in the midst of the natural realm. Elisha prayed his student’s eyes be opened to the spiritual realm, and the student suddenly saw the armies of heaven encamped above that place.

   Similarly, we pray to see. And as He opens our spiritual eyes, we start to see more present dimensions in this situation. We start to see the spiritual backdrop. From that vision, we can more wisely choose how to bless in the natural. Paul prayed that the eyes of hearts be ever more enlightened.

  Things must be revealed. Paul elsewhere in galatians said that the gospel was revealed to him, and that it was revealed to me to go do such and such. He was led by spiritual revelations.

   In this article, I want to also focus on why the priestly comes before action on earth. We must see what the Father is doing, before we know what to do on earth.

Jesus only did what He saw the Father doing. That took prayer, worship, retreat. Then He would return and teach and do things.

 He discerned their hearts, so that He could actually teach them what they needed to know.

 This was a common practice and pattern of Our Lord while on earth. He would stop pray and see, and then act. This is why spiritual perception comes before intervention.

Prayer by its nature engages the spiritual imagination. When we pray, we start to see things, get His Heart or impressions about whatever we are praying about. Afterwards, we understand the situation more clearly. This is one of the reasons for prayer. It’s a way of getting to know God, and then to be able to see more of how He is intervening in the situations around us.

  We must minister to God, before ministering to others. From that ministry comes all others.

  Where He is, we are also. The veil was torn at the Cross. Spiritual Reality is open to us who are in Him. We can already be getting to know His spiritual realm.

  The gospel did not come from man, it came down from The Father. The gospel was and is about His Son, and what He was offering through His Son to people. Paul says, that he did not make up the gospel, but that is was revealed to him. He went and tested it with the elders, and it was confirmed to have come from God.

Paul had many other, what we would call mystical experiences, even at his conversion. He gets a visitation from the Risen Jesus; and then at some point is lifted up into heaven and shown things. We are not told all he saw, but there was a type of mystical occurrence at that stage of his life, and repeatedly afterwards in his ministry.

  Spiritual perception governs how we interpret things. Peter was blessed because the Father had revealed to Him the true identity of His Son. So even to see who Jesus really is, requires a revelation, a new spiritual perception of things.

  How does spiritual perception work? How do we lose our own imaginations to find and be informed by more of His?

    Prayer seems like a key. When we pray, we place ourselves in an orientation which is receptive to Him, and He begins to show us things, sometimes in images, impressions or full visions, other times in words of sensations. In prayer, we are listening. We are overhearing and overseeing what God is thinking feeling imaging. We are coming into deeper communion with His Imagination—how God sees. This contextualizes what we are experiencing in our lives. It helps us interpret them better. And I think is part of what it means to be renewing our minds daily in the Light coming from His Cross!

  Jesus is The Light, so when we draw close to Him, everything is illuminated, made full of color and life. Therefore, our practice is always to be drawing nearer to Him. When we do so, we start to see things more in His Light.

So spiritual perception does involve Light. In Genesis, God made light, and saw that it was good. He illuminated things in order to make delineations. So must we.

     We have a crowd of those watching with us, as we draw above (Hebrews), so we are not on some disorienting trip, although it can be disorienting as it was for John when we are having open visions and visitations. Yet, God is not a God of confusion. We are meant to know things more deeply in Him.

        The prophets saw cities coming out of heaven, they saw beast and monsters of all kinds; they saw new temples and could measure their dimensions, they saw a reign of global peace at the end. They were shown many things. God knows how much we can handle, as we see in Daniel, when God tells him that is enough, you cannot see more in that area. God guides our perceptions, unlike in drug trips or ecstatic religions. The Holy Spirit guides us into all truth.

 And Love is there as well, for God is Love. That is one way to discern whether your vision is from God, does it have His Ways in it—is it Love centered.

      The prophets had activated imaginations, their spiritual perception was alive and in communion with Him. So, He could share lots with them.

  We often, in the church, have had a poverty of imagination-an un-activated imagination. We haven’t allowed our perception into our relationship with God. That’s tragic. For His Creativity is Life, and brings Life to us!  He wants to heal this, and awaken our spiritual perception so we can have a deeper communion with Him, and so we can be useful stewards and partners with Him on earth.

Generations of His Purposes!

Working on an article considering generations, less as about physical age, and more about “generations of God’s purposes”. Looking at biblical characters like Joshua and Moses who got to walk in at least two generations in this sense. Fun meditation, which takes us out of the boxes of mere age, and into our chapters in God’s  long novel.

Each generation like a chapter in a book relates to the whole.

What’s your generational part in building the ancient spiritual house? What is your generation’s part of the overall structure, or spiritual building, or house, God is building to wear His Own name through the generations of His Purposes? He is writing a grand novel about Himself through all the generations; what is your generation’s chapter to add?

My own generation are namers, interpreters and authenticators. So…

Why authenticators now? Why have a generation of those who are manifesting and walking with Christ in a truly authentic manner. Why would He emphasize that now, in the overall building of His Church or expression on earth. Why authenticate Christianity now?

I often feel the generations of His Purposes, and try to seek out what He is emphasizing each generation. What is He highlighting about Himself through your generation? And why emphasize what your own generation carries now in the story? Lot’s of cool questions around generations, when you really consider the overall flow of the story. Each generation has its gifts and shadows, but allowing Him to write you into the big Story, is meaningful.

Through mine, it is authenticity. We are transparent and real about who we are, and who He is. There is no religious interruption, or ideological one.

I feel the chapters of His Story, and how we are uniquely included in the grand narrative. At times, i can step outside my own generational role and just enjoy the overall story. We each have our part to play, but the story is much bigger than us. May we build well on the foundation which is already laid.

 St Paul warned us to build our part well in the long spiritual saga, and to recall the foundations and be thankful that others built well before us. We test our building on whether we an see the foundation which is Christ, and then we move out with the Father and consider the whole structure, then we add our particular part, we are privileged to build with Him.

Generation is not just about age, but rather about generations of God’s purposes—i.e. what chapter of the story is your generation? You look at how Joshua walked through three generations of His Purposes. Most of us get two, if we are blessed. But knowing the generations of His Purposes, helps us collaborate in the true story of our times.  And how does your life and your generation’s gifts. fit into the grand novel? What is your generation’s part in the story? And why would you come now, in the drama? Again, it’s not just about physical age, but what generation or what chapter of His purposes we each are. And then how to work together, to make the transitions seamless.

Studying art and Nature and how the two relate today: It’s a pet topic for me—an ecological theology of the arts?!

NT Wright’s thoughts on beauty are helpful, as I’ve been looking at a true christian ecology and its relationship with the arts, over many years. There aren’t many great books on our relationship with Nature or the earth from a Christ centered perspective, which I’ve been interested in since living at L’abri. Shaeffer wrote a nice little treatise, but it doesn’t really include the earth’s groaning, and all of St Paul’s thinking of our collaboration with the earth.

He starts his thinking with the Resurrection and being part of the new creation. And we being included or first fruits in that experiment of making the earth whole again.

Quote:

 “When art comes to terms with both the wounds of the world and the promise of resurrection, and learns how to express and respond to both at once, we will be on the way to a fresh vision, a fresh mission….Art at its best draws attention not just to how things are, but how they will be—the hope for the earth is that it filled with the knowledge of God, and no longer be in pain…perhaps it will be the artists who are best at conveying both the hope and the surprise—the continuing approach of the new creation, overtly seen in the Resurrection”

Art must deal both with the earth’s current groaning, and it’s future glory and rest. That is part of our work as the sons and daughters of God in relationship to the earth itself and Nature. Much Christian art is sentimental because it has not heard the groaning of the earth.

Of course as he points out: “Creation is good, but it is not God. It is in pain, but that pain is taken into the very heart of God and becomes part of the pain of the new birth.”

I love thinking about the earth, and it’s relationship with God, and our role in the dialogue. God often addresses the earth directly in conversation through the prophets. Always interested me, the idea of prophesying healing to the mountains and rivers!

 Without worshiping the earth, we clearly have a unique priestly position of creative stewardship and a role in ushering in the new creation. St Paul seems to teach us that this also has to do with empathizing with the earth, not as our Ultimate, but as priestly artistic responsibility.

“To make sense of and celebrate a beautiful world through the production of artifacts which are themselves beautiful is part of the call to be stewards of creations, as was Adam’s naming of the animals.”

But this creative part of stewardship has been largely dismissed for much of church history. Still, as humans, it beckons and shakes us awake.

Lastly, “Genuine art is thus itself a response to the beauty of creation, which itself is a pointer to the beauty of God.” He speaks of Nature as like a chalice, or violin—participating but in potential form (groaning until the sons and daughters of God come forth more fully) with the Maker of the Music, and filler of the chalice. Nice thinking. Enjoying reading this section on aesthetics, from his book “Surprised by Hope”. Helpful. Wish it was around when i was in art school. Helps contextualize creativity, as part of stewardship. Nice.

Also his idea, that since we don’t live in the garden of eden, but in an earth which groans; an earth heading towards a city of God with a garden at its center—our art should not pretend the earth is not groaning. He suggest, as I would also that so much of Christian art lacks grit and truth, because it assumes it is a perfect world, so it is not in authentic dialogue with how things actually are. Or as Bono has pointed out—it lacks the blues of the Psalms, and becomes sentimental art. Sadly much christian art is simply not good art; could this lack of empathy with the groaning of the earth (Romans 8), be part of the reason?

I’m always trying to develop a theology of the arts and ecology. Fun researching this Scottish teacher’s thoughts on beauty and Nature, and our role in relation to it. That the earth is in pain is a given from scriptures, our relationship to its healing gets us caught up in the new creation. Good to consider that stewardship includes the arts!

One of my favorite artist—Christo; has done so many projects in direct relationship with the earth; I’ve always enjoyed his active dialogue with it.

Anyway, enjoying studying NT Wright’s theology of the new creation as a context for the arts. Helpful study.

In our times, we have no more time to guard our spiritual wells. If God has given us a deposit, it needs to be shared with the whole of The Body for mutual edification!

 When times are intense, we have no choice but to unify in Him, and share what we have downloaded thus far from and in Him. How far we have come in Him, and what we know thus far, of who He is in us. We are called to share, at least that much with one another.

We must take down our religious cultural walls, and share in His Love with one another, for the maturation of the whole Body of Christ.

 For instance, the walls of denominationalism, must start to be more porous. We must start to offer what we have received of Him to one another within the Body of Christ. We no longer have the luxury of privacy in our personal and denominational spiritualities.

  What we have been graced to know of Him, we must share and make known for the good of the whole.

  With God, there are still distinctions (the baptist are still not presbyterians, yet..), times He emphasized new truths or parts of Himself in a fresh light in each,  but what we have touched and known of Jesus, must be shared for the full revelation of His Kingdom to come.

 This is not just ecumenism, but a desire for a fuller incarnation of the Whole Lord into His more whole and unified People. For His Kingdom to come into and through us all, we must share what we have incarnated of Him, thus far!

  Linguistic ecumenism is already happening, but we must go deeper, into His Heart of sharing Himself with the whole true Body of Jesus, Our Lord. He wants to incarnate more fully and intensely in and between His People. Let’s let Him.

 This requires the discomfort of dialogue between catholic, protestant, and all the denominations there within. It requires His people to let down religious cultural guards, and allow Him to be our Filter of truth about Himself.

 He may still use their distinctions, but they must open up the hearts of their walls, and the spiritual water of their wells, for the whole to become more One Loving expression of Himself.

It’s time for spiritual and metaphysical ecumenism to happen. We must dialogue deeper to deep, spirit to Spirit in order to make a way for His Kingdom to come. We must un-damn our wells, or hop over the walls, and actually encounter and love one another in these stormy days, in order to be One and represent His Oneness!

Reading the book of Ruth again:

 The story of Ruth has lots to teach us now about treating the “foreigner”, women, one another, or any “other”!  As well it teaches of the Kingdom economy-ie how to use the surplus of our lives, the extra which runs over, to bless and love others with wisdom and kindness, in a way which actually produces spiritual growth in ourselves and one another!

 Plus it is so well written, as a piece of art, worth a careful consideration, among the many great narratives of scripture. Great study today in the midst of trying to learn to live well.

I like looking at each character of the stories, and thinking about how I relate to them, and what they each have to teach my heart about God. That’s how I read devotionally.

 Sometimes i just read for history or for cultural understanding, but reading devotionally—i.e. to meet God through the story opens other things up, and allows for other types of transformation in encountering the stories.

 And then to try to get the tone of the story, and the basic plot. Encounter it as art, about something bigger than myself.

 This story has so many core metaphors about how to treat one another, and the passion and loyalty to one another and the true God. Rich story. Worth re-reading again. Glad I did today.

 Here’s a woman, who was not Jewish, but who ends up becoming the grandmother of King David and so in the birth line of Jesus, and came to follow the God or “Utmost” of the Jews, and move in the ways of the God of the Jews. She was an anomaly in the story. Someone, unexpected to show up in the drama.

Great story. Worth a re-read. A woman of God, not of “His People” but who found Him, through love of Naomi, and walked out her life in His Ways. Powerful example. Especially for gentiles—or, those grafted in.

Reading the book honestly, always reveals new levels of truths to me. Nice to consider her story today.

Reading the book of Ruth again:

 The story of Ruth has lots to teach us now about treating the “foreigner”, women and one another, as well as the Kingdom economy-ie how to use the surplus of our lives to bless and love others with wisdom and kindness, in a way which actually produces spiritual growth in ourselves and one another!

 Plus it is so well written, as a piece of art, worth a careful consideration, among the many great narratives of scripture. Great study today in the midst of trying to learn to live well.

I like looking at each character and thinking about how I relate to them, and what they each have to teach my heart about God. That’s how I read devotionally. Sometimes i just read for history or understanding, but reading devotionally—i.e. to meet God through the story opens other things up, and allows for other types of transformation in encountering the stories.

 And then to try to get the tone of the story, and the basic plot. Encounter it as art, about something bigger than myself. This story has so many core metaphors about how to treat one another, and the passion and loyalty to one another and the true God. Rich story. Worth re-reading again. Glad I did today.

 Here’s a woman, who was not Jewish, but who ends up becoming the grandmother of King David and so in the birth line of Jesus, and came to follow the God, and move the ways of the God of the Jews. Great story. Worth a re-read.

From an article i was asked to write about why identity still matters from a Christian perspective, and how it relates to racism now: viewing one another as God’s poetry…:

  Equally, each people group reflects a unique aspect of who God is. Each family of people, a uniquely contoured statement from God about Himself. For we are part of His autobiography. This is why we cannot dismiss one another.

 If we truly see others as creations and reflections of parts of who God is, racism becomes impossible, unpronounceable. Identity necessitates a love of God. For if we truly behold one another in love, we will know there is a God.

  No one can be dismissed from love. To reject Love is like rejecting air. To reject one another, is to reject His Way of expressing Himself. For it is like rejecting a part of who God is. Or, refusing to read and love His poetry! For scripture teaches us, that we are the poems of God (Ephesians 2:10).

 Who are we to reject His poetry, which He died to pronounce. So, we celebrate ourselves as we celebrate others, in thankfulness and as a reflection of who God is.

  Then, we actively dignify and affirm one another, as poems of God. Our identities are made intact or more whole by Love. Since we all become socially, through loving relationship, we will to proactively love one another, as He first proactively loved us, as the Good Book puts it.

  We love one another in wonder and awe of who God actually is. And as a meditation on His Being. Being stunned by the sheer beauty of His poetry of one another.

  To see the poetry of one another, each, person, people group, family, ethnicity, city and nation, as  an aspect of a nuanced, cadenced, verse in an endless song about who God is… and to meet God there, with and through one another, in His Singing, of His Own social diversity and unity, His Song of Himself (The Three in One, the Social God with unity and diversity in Himself—to sing the Shema, in other words) must become our collective spirituality, especially if we are to thwart the ways of racism, the ways of “it-ing” one another in fear and pride, our two great human sins, which choke the poetry we are meant to be.

This is to meet God for His Own sake, and in His Own style of expression, to meet Him in His Identity, rather than our own. In doing so, we discover our own identity.

 For we know His words, His speech, His poetry, which we are, is eternal, and grounds our worth in His Heart. So, if we really treat our neighbor as a poem of God, everything will change, and racism will begin to be eradicated, starting in our hearts, which is where all true movements begin.

Why identity still matters:

We are social creatures, and become in relationship, and yet these relationships are not meant to be comparative or competitive—they are meant to be  mutual blessings of becoming.

 God-formed relationships always have this fruit of mutual edification. This requires us to actually be comfortable enough with the pleasant lines of ourselves enough to enjoy the wonderful contours of others. And as we are His inheritance, we are able to allow Him to possess, occupy and cultivate us, just as He set this model out in the times of Joshua. We cross the Jordan (our necessary deaths); we celebrate in advance the “lands” He has given us; and we tactically pursue His formation in each inner city of our lives. This is the process of identity sanctification. We are becoming gradually more and more in Him, and therefore ourselves!

Our identity itself is held secure in Christ, as one monk put it. He alone knows our names. He has searched and known us, even when we had no idea who we were.  And so is our pathway, or calling. Both are revealed gently and over time by Him. Our white stone names get whispered to our hearts. So we need not fear that another can take away our identity—it is, in this sense, inviolable as it is hidden in Christ. And one day we will know, even as we are known—face to Face. But we are already in the process of becoming who we are—the sons and daughters of God with unique names and nuances of His Life within us to reflect to others. We are living poems and testimonies as we are ourselves in Him. This is the mystery of identity.

“I knew you, Jeremiah, therefore I called you to do this and that….” In the prophet’s case, to be a prophet to the nations. King David put it, “You knit me together in the womb, you saw my as yet unformed parts…” Therefore, God was in a position to give David and unique and wonderful path or calling. Both our identity and our paths are “in Him.” So we can be secure in this. We no longer must compare ourselves to others in order to know who we are. Nor fear we are invisible unless we assault the world outside of us.

Most of us either assault or withdraw in order to protect our imagined selves. But Christ offers another way into self discovery.

We do not need to compete or compare ourselves to be ourselves. Identity is a gift given, hidden in and revealed from Our Author. So we are free to just become who we are in Him. That is part of our security in Christ. He knows our inner or real names, and is capable of revealing them, pronouncing them even to us.

This concept of not being in competition for identity is liberating, being secure in our own perameters of being, so we can enjoy other’s. For both our identities and paths are hidden protected and contained in Christ. So we don’t need to compare ourselves to others, or be in competition—rather we can move to mutually blessing one another with the cultivated fruits of our own lands.

Talking to a man yesterday who works with people who have hugely successful their whole lives but never allowed themselves to just be. To celebrate their identities as david did. In Psalm 139, we are assured that God celebrates our unique identities as poems of God. In Ephesians 2:10 we are actually called His masterpieces, his workmanship, his poems. Who are we to diminish His poetry!

Instead, we are called to celebrate His craftsmanship in ourselves and in one another. As CS Lewis said, if we really saw who one another was in God, we would be tempted to bow down and worship one another.

 A higher step would be to be amazed at Our Great Creator Artist for the wonder of His Creatures. God has made us as living poetry—the crown of His creation. This is why identity matters. We are not blobs of energy without distinction! We are uniquely contoured poetry of God becoming worthy of Our Creator.

People have a hard time celebrating their own identity without being narcissistic or selfish. But when we see what identity actually is—a reflection of God’s amazing nature-we rejoice and celebrate the songs of ourselves, as poems of God.

Equally, each people group reflects a unique aspect of who God is. Each family of people, a uniquely contoured statement from God about Himself. For we are part of His autobiography. This is why we cannot dismiss one another. If we truly see others as creations and reflections of parts of who God is, racism becomes impossible. No one can be dismissed from love. For it is like rejecting a part of who God is. Or, refusing to read and love His poetry! For scripture teaches us, that we are the poems of God (Ephesians 2:10). Who are we to reject His poetry, which He died to pronounce. So, we celebrate ourselves as we celebrate others, in thankfulness and as a reflection of who God is. And we actively dignify and affirm one another, as poems of God. Our identities are made in intact by Love. So, we love one another, as He first loved us, as the Good Book puts it. We love one another in wonder and awe of who God actually is.

To see the poetry of one another, and to meet God there, must become our collective spirituality, especially if we are to thwart the ways of racism.

Ministry is basically being able to be aware of your own self, but also what God’s orientation is to this person. What He is ministering to them, and why and how He might use your personality to bless them. But it does require us to not just give our gifts, but to seek Him how He is ministering to this other person or situation. And to align our gifts with that.

 Often, when i am seeking in prayer and journaling before counseling someone, i will realize why He would use me in this situation, and how clever God is in doing so. It leaves me with a sense, of not just confirmation of my own gifting, but also of a better picture of why God would be blessing this person in this way–ie how He father’s people. So I leave with a greater appreciation of who He is.

But there is always this need to seek His orientation to the other firstly–whether you are ministering to a city or person or into a particular situation. This is also about getting to know Him through ministry. That’s the point. Not just helping others, but also being mutually formed in Christ as you do.

It is also about keeping your own gifts on His Cross and in His service. Having His orientation towards another, takes prayer and preparation. This is the work of ministry. Even if you are planting verbal seeds to others. You need to seek God’s Tone and overall orientation towards each situation, if you want to actually Minister His True Life.

So ministry is really about getting to know and love God in the end. In other words, it becomes part of our spirituality or relationship with Him! Effective ministry then is growth in God for you and the other person.

Anyone can give their gifts, but to do so as a way of getting to know God, allows the Father’s true authority to come in, and we get to grow in wisdom–the application of our gifts in Love. Isn’t the point of ministry formation of the Life of Christ in us?!

Conversely, narcissistic ministry ends up leading people to the life of ourselves, or our own pet ideas, not Christ. It is soul rather than spirit led ministry.

 It is either about our own needs to feel useful to others, or a need for personal validation of our own gifts. Neither is really ministering the actual Life of Jesus into another’s life or situation! This is why we pray for His Presence and guidance before counseling or ministering to others. We want it to be Spirit led.

Often, for me, God will show me tools beforehand which may be useful for the other person, but while together these arise led by His Spirit, not me. We are collaborating with Christ in counseling. If we want our counseling to be more than a projection onto the other, we have to seek The Third beforehand.

So the key to ministry is meeting and getting to know Father more through ministering the Life of His Son to others. The fruit is mutual edification, not burnout. If we are burning out, we are soul driven in ministry. But if we getting to know Father through it, we will be mutually edified.