More on counseling well:

  Grabbing versus receiving. Giving counsel in the right ways…

When we get to a level of spiritual parenting, we have many decisions to make. Wisdom is to know that often we will get empathetic insight, but not yet have the inner tools or wisdom and love available for the other to really bless them.

 Also, there is this key issue of whether a person is ready for spiritual parenting or healing. Jesus asked the lame man: “Do you want to be healed? This is the first core question. Are you actually thirsty or just complaining about the lack of water? Or your own inability to get to the waters while their stirring? This man had to overcome 38 years of victimization–felling like he could never get there fast enough.

 Then, Jesus just comes up directly and ask him, are you really ready to be healed. Implying, are you willing to change, not just your body and situation, but your heart! At the end of this tale, Jesus challenges him to change his lifestyle. Now that your physical healing has come, are you willing to change your inner spiritual life! Jesus was always so thorough in his healing process.

  This story of course has so much to teach—not only does the man have to overcome a victimzation mentality in order to say yes to Jesus; he also is told that he needs to change his lifestyle at the end of the story. Good healing story. Being able to discern if a person really wants or is ready to be healed is one aspect; the other, is do we ourselves really want to be healed, and be willing to change our lifestyles. Lots there.

  Often, people need more plowing, before the seeds they need can be planted.  To break down the blocks, or find the good soil behind and within them. Jesus was clear with the lame man at that healing pool (Bethesda)—“Do you really want to be healed?” was His first question. And the man himself had to overcome years of victimization to say yes! Years of not feeling like he was fast enough to get to the pools of healing. Jesus also offered Him a new way, which didn’t require the pools–a more direct way–stand up and walk! It was a risk on the man’s part, and he went for it. Then told others, and lastly Jesus challenged him to change his lifestyle. That is the pattern of healing, contained in this one story from St John!

 Do you really want healing is always the first question. Then are you willing to overcome your experience to believe that it’s possible, then are you willing to stand and change your lifestyle. Nothing has changed in the healing process. And Jesus offers a higher way than the angelically stirred waters. He offers direct contact, and a challenge to overcome our lack of faith based on experience. Now, there is both overcoming the lame man’s blocks in this story, and planting new seeds of life! That is always the case with God’s healing. He both plows and plants! Not each of us is able to do both for another person, but both are necessary.

  If we want to both plow and plant, then we need more equipment ourselves. To plow is unique from planting. Of course, St Paul did both, but not everyone is as gifted.

 It is good to be very aware of our own issues as well—how much of me needs validation through this helping of another, and what are my particular blocks around blessings them. All these have to be constantly questioned in order to really help someone.

  So I usually in prayer get insights, then feel love for a person, and then ask for His tone or orientation to deliver what He is telling them. I think He gives all of these—insight into another’s problems is not enough; we also need love, and then orientation to how God is blessings them. Then, also they have to be willing to ask for help and sit under it.

  Insights, again, are not enough. I can get insights over ten people a day, but not be called to help them. Sometimes, I just release that in prayer, and thank Jesus that He is so thorough. Other times, He will give me more to seed or plant in that person or situation. It is wisdom to discern my part in another’s healing journey. If any.

In short, you have to have insight from prayer, love for the other person, and knowing what your role is in the situation. That last one would include knowing your own wounds and weaknesses, and making sure you are not doing it for yourself, or your own needs.

  If I have wounds around a need for validation, or I have a self judgement about not being available to others for instance, that can cause me to “soul” things into place—in that space comes manipulations and witchcraft-or manipulating things into place.  So, I must be very clear about myself in the situation as well. Why do I want to help this person, and what does it bring up in me. These are basics to mature counseling.

 I myself often see into people deeply, that does not mean I am the one meant to help them. And if I do feel led to do so, it needs to be for the right heart reasons. It should be a place of meeting God, for instance; so that I too am growing through the relationship.

There are many levels of awareness required to good counseling and spiritual parenting.     And we must be very humble to collaborate with Christ in this area. I’m learning it slowly and surely myself. God is always working on each of us at the same time!

 There is something about us being aware of why we are helping another, and then how He is helping them through us and our gifts. That keeps it about getting to know and love and be formed by God. And less about our own gifts, or other’s needs.

Counseling others must become a part of getting to know and love and be formed by our God, of it really helps no one. Counseling others must become part of our spirituality, or it really isn’t useful.

Saw this sign recently in Antwerp and thought about how to use bridges well-in ourselves, our cities and nations.

 All architecture is symbolic, and can be used for good or bad art and living.

  Historically, bridges are like gates—they can be places of blessing or places of curses, but, they also have this symbol of fluidity running beneath them (whatever happens on the bridge gets communicated outwards to the surrounding villages and towns through our rivers or words, and in our case, into entire other nations-ie what happens on our bridges, gets planted as seeds into the water and carried into the fields surrounding us); so that either way, they symbolize and carry out messages to others. Places of connection, much like blood in a human body, matter and reveal and determine the heart in many ways.

 The internet is also a type of bridge to be tended in Wisdom and with Love, as well as many other metaphors, but we still have to use it as loving kind humans. Bridges can be places we collectively block crossing to one another, or open up to allow welcomed conversational mutually healing entry-even express the pageantry of welcome to one another. It is good to see you again cousin etc…

 I love bridges as symbols and their potential for good in the human family. New mediums, but the same ethics apply to each medium. Let’s use this information bridge for good. Historically, people, cities and even nations, are judged on how we used our bridges and gates—who and how we let people in. Even in our own lives.

 May we use our bridges and gates well in our times. It has been said that Wisdom dwells at the rivers rims and ridges—the place of communication between, the edges between cultures and spaces, and the high places, places where we meet what we worship. Let us meet Wisdom in all three spaces, and thus, pour forth in love towards one another!

 Let’s be bridges of reconciliation! Blessers from above and into the waters of our cities! That’s what we will be remembered for. I think we will be held accountable for how we used our rivers, bridges, and boundaries, and they reveal our heart, as people, cities and nations.

 When I am a reading city, I often look at how they are currently using their bridges, gates (entry points, could be train stations or airports), and rivers to determine their spiritual health. The same is true with us—was I welcoming today, did I get to place where I saw it all from Above, and did I communicate what I saw in love to others around me. These to me are basic questions of daily life.

 Let’s use our bridges well, and be good bridges, so our rivers carry their messages out into the good soil of one another’s hearts.

Why bridges still matter: what’s heard on the water communicates into the fields. What we communicate and symbolize, goes into the soil of the heart. Each of us, within ourselves, has bridges, rivers and fields. Thinking today about how we use our bridges.

 Saw this sign recently in Antwerp and thought about how to use bridges well.

 All architecture is symbolic, and can be used for good or bad art and living.

  Historically, bridges are like gates—they can be places of blessing or places of curses, but, they also have this symbol of fluidity running beneath them (whatever happens on the bridge gets communicated outwards to the surrounding villages and towns, and in our case, entire other nations-ie what happens on our bridges, gets planted as seeds into the water and carried into the fields surrounding); so that either way, they symbolize and carry out messages to others. Places of connection, much like blood in a human body.

 The internet is also a bridge to be tended in Wisdom and with Love, as well as many other metaphors, but we still have to use it as loving kind humans. Bridges can be places we collectively block crossing to one another, or open up to allow welcomed conversational mutually healing entry-even express the pageantry of welcome to one another. It is good to see you again cousin etc…

 I love bridges as symbols and their potential for good in the human family. New mediums, but the same ethics apply. Let’s use this information bridge for good. Historically, people, cities and even nations, are judged on how we used our bridges and gates—who and how we let people in. Even in our own lives.

 May we use our bridges and gates well in our times. It has ben said that Wisdom dwells at the rivers rims and ridges—the place of communication between, the edges between cultures and spaces, and the high places, places where we meet what we worship. Let us meet Wisdom in all three spaces, and thus, pour froth in love towards one another!

 Let’s be bridges of reconciliation! Blessers above the waters of our cities! That’s what we will be remembered for. I think we will be held accountable for how we used our rivers, bridges, and boundaries, and they reveal our heart, as people, cities and nations.

 When I am reading city, I often look at how they are currently using their bridges, gates, and rivers to determine their spiritual health. The same as true with us—was I welcoming today, did I get to place where I saw it all from Above, and did I communicate what I saw in love to others around me. These to me are basic questions of daily life.

 Let’s use our bridges well, and be good bridges, so our rivers carry their messages out into the good soil of one another’s hearts.

Finding The Day:

  When I was a kid, my mom would often wake me up with this verse: “This is the day which the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.”

 But it didn’t always feel like the day of the Lord to me. I never loved early mornings which school required, I was an artist, and even then, stayed up late at night. It took me many years, to realize that we actually had to find and faith our way into “the day of the Lord.” To actively position ourselves towards the Day of The Lord.

  It’s certainly there, but takes a little work on our part to find it, and live in and from it daily. Yet, it is still my practice to find “that Day, each day, in my days.”

  Finding the Lord’s Day within our days is a spiritual practice. Everyday. This is the Day that the Lord has made, i will first find it, and enter into it, and then find myself rejoicing in it! It is a spiritual discipline to find the Lord’s Day everyday.

 To pray our way into The Day, to turn towards it, makes ours meaningful! And the Day is always in our midst, but sometimes we must discipline ourselves to find its already dawning. Spirituality is not passive, and we can choose to accept our own version of each day, but there is another Day just behind the curtain, which helps our’s shine. Try to find the backdrop which puts our own days in spiritual relief that’s the practice. So that our daily lives become an active part of our spiritualities.

 I think we wake up near the Day, or even in the midst of The Day, but have a part in actively placing ourselves in an orientation to enter into that Day experientially or existentially. When we do, our own hours and activities are contextualized in a long stream of meaningful days. I’m still thankful for my mom telling me The Day was indeed there; but have had to learn how to find it each day.

 Hope that you are finding The Day, within your days, today friends! And then, rejoicing in it!

More on counseling…

 Often when i meet someone, i can sense them as both younger and much older than they currently are. It helps to visualize their whole narrative or trajectory (in both directions), in order to bless their present situation. It’s helpful to do that for ourselves as well!

 I never see people as only in their current situation, but as part of a longer story, worth interpreting and helping to be pronounced. There are seasonal challenges, but also often, having to go back and edit (heal, grieve, forgive, fill in) a previous chapter.

 Sometimes if someone is stuck, it is also giving a vision of future chapters in their lives. I like counseling, in that it is piecing together a person’s whole story, and trying to help them live it well. We have to see ourselves as a whole story, that always contextualizes our current difficulties. I think this is true for cities and nation’s as well.

 This might seem simple, it probably is, but it works.

Meeting God in the holiday blues:

  Been counseling some this week, as people often get bluesy and even depressed, around Christmas. I’ve found, i can’t really help anyone if i don’t get into a prayer stream for them, sort of overhear Jesus’s specific prayers, and their tone. Tone matters, so you get the heart. Turns out Jesus is praying for everyone. Often, it’s mostly about tuning into that prayer, and joining in it for the other person.

  Yesterday, a fellow was suffering holiday depression having recently found out he had cancer. He hadn’t even told his wife yet, and he didn’t want to overwhelm her. I mostly just sat there with him and listened. Then I felt real comfort soak down over the table, and he just cried for a while.

  He is a musical composer, so he started humming all this old late baroque music—it was so soothing (like overhearing God’s comfort music, or healing soundtrack, for someone; and, it was so specifically catered to this man; the tone of his particular comforting!), like David playing music for Saul in the bible—first music therapist!

  Anyway, the ministry of presence always blesses, especially around holidays. Life is meaningful even in suffering. Afterwards, i was once again impressed by God’s specific, not just generalized, care for each of us. I guess that’s how counseling brings you closer to God.

 Counseling like anything else, has to become part of your spirituality for it to be very  useful to others or yourself.

  In times like Daniel’s and Jeremiah’s the rabbi’s and prophets had to write it all down. The temple was gone, many of the rituals lost; so the prophets and priest had to create the talmud. The babylonian talmud is the the result.

 If there are parallels to now, we see a time of great global confusion, and are challenged to write out the truths from God’s Voice again. You see this happening now. It is a time to write a new talmud—a global talmud, so that all the peoples can hear the truths of God, and remember who they are.

Times like ours, require us to write from God’s Voice, and to see what The Father is doing—to, like Daniel, “fix our gazes to gain understanding.”

  Two quotes i liked this week: someone asked me today what my favorite quotes, i came across, from this week were. I write down what friend’s say weekly when it feels true. Perhaps mine were two intense, but these were them…

  “Spirituality is the most basic human need, for it determines- identity, purpose and the power to live out your vocation with meaning. It determines how we interpret and live out the three basic human questions: who am I, what am I doing here, and how can I be empowered to live it out. So choose your spirituality with care and consideration.”

The other I liked from a local friend:

   “We need to make basic practical statements like: I won’t look at pornography, because, among other things, it corrupts my vision of Reality, and de-dignifies both genders-regardless of if I’m a woman or man; i won’t treat someone like an object for my momentary needs;  i won’t treat another person as if they were just their job or color, i won’t “it” them (race or gender) into my box; I won’t view my own worth based on what I have, or appear to have—these statements and this mentality,must become common among those who follow Christ.”

  I’m always shocked, in a good way, when friends share the truths they’ve learned so far. Challenges me to be a better person.

 

Few will focus on the sky and the sea. But both are sheer mysteries, which we cannot fully fathom. They are beyond the controllable elements unlike even creatures.. We think of the sky, the expanse made before us, on the second day, and are truly humbled. Each night, the moon stuns me. If we step outside our daily lives, and just behold those two alone, we will be truly humbled into being.

Spiritual growth and cultures…raw notes towards an article:

Discipling the nations would include thinking of how to grow the inner life regardless of the cultural outer life. In America, you see many who get stuck in immaturity of spirit; and some of theat is that we are not a post christian culture yet; in europe, you have to really chose to be christian. You look at debora or kerstin, and you see it is a weighty thing to follow Jesus, and there is lots of live out well. I ike america for it’s lightness of being, but at times her oppomions are so immature and not considering the whole. More teenager like, narcissism and solipsism are obvious traits. Plus, sort of a supermarket approach to their faith.

America is not quiet post christian yet; i would say we are more Christ haunted—that used to be just the south as Falnnery wrote, now it’s the he whole nation—more a supermarket spiritual nation—pick what works for you based on personal desire.

In many other countries it is much more a rick to follow Jesus, there are advantages to this—you have to take your faith more seriously. Yet, in both, you must learn how to grow spiritually, and be actually spirit led and learn to govern your inner lives—as St Paul taught us—to learn to take off, put on the new self—i.e. to be active in spiritual growth. There are different challenges to spiritual growth in different cultures; and different ways He is discipling the nations.

Of course cultural christianity can and does lead to complacency; or lack of discernment of the actual spirit of Christ moving. St John taught us ow to discern who was in Christ—it had to do with their deeds or actions. Are they living as Jesus lived etc. That was one of his keys to discernment. Yet, regardless of your culture, you are called out into a spiritual nation with a spiritual King; and to be growing in Him.

If your culture is largely atheistic, that is a unique challenge; if it is culturally or superficially christian, that is another type of challenge, and requires unique tools to spiritual grow and stay vibrant in being renewed in the image of Christ. For that is the goal for us all, as Paul taught—to be being renewed in our hearts into the image of Christ. Where there is neigether jew or gentle etc…Col 3.

Each culture presents unique challengies of being discipled into all Three Names of the Trinity. If you have an abusive father culture, you will have to find a truer image of The Father; if you have a culture which doesn’t believe in miracles, you may stumble over The Holy Spirit etc….

you see that african christians usually accept the Holy Spirit more easily than northern europeans, where the enlightenment was so strong, as well as marxist doctrine which choked out the supernatural.

You see africans being sent now into europe to help awaken her to The Holy Spirit among other things.

In america where the charismatic renewal began, you see less trouble finding the Holy Spirit, and I would say more problem finding God the Father—we are more like teenagers who don’t like to sit in the more patient I Am space in God, where Wisdom swells! So there are unique challenges in each nation of culture to true spiritual growth. But if we follow and are in Jesus, we must allow Him to overcome these cultural blinders, and actually be growing into becoming the sons and daughters of God. It is possible to become spiritually mature anywhere! Yet, it helps to know the cultural blocks around you which hinder spiritual growth. And if you are discipling others—to consider what they may need to grow past their cultural boundaries…sometimes that means actively going and serving in other cultures, just to get outside your comforts and blocks; or to constantly be vigilant as to the weaknesses of your own culture, and the places it blocks the life of Christ forming in it’s people.

My european friends have different struggles than my american ones in terms of spiritual growth. The europeans tend to take Jesus and a global view of His impact very seriously, and work actively to bring in the new creation in their fields. My american friends are often unaware of the whole global Body and needs, and can often get very solipsistic in their spirituality—or overemphasize the personal relationship with God, without being aware of His collective agenda.

Yet european often lack the levity of being in Him; the actual fun friendship part of Jesus.

It is often helpful to have a few americans in a circle to bring this levity and just do it-just be with Jesus part with no plan. They often move well in The  Holy PSIrit as well. Yet, lack a Father’s vision of the whole, and strategy for partnering in His Kingdom come etc. .

 The other aspects of spiritual growth are often situational; if you have a war in your backyard, you don’t have the luxury of complacency. Persecution brings acute spirituality. Yet, we can all grow even when not being persecuted! We just challenge ourselves to be growing daily into His Image no matter what our cultural milieu.

In the end, all nations will be baptized into  Him, or have a choice to do so.

But now, we must consider how to grow in Him where we are; and to be aware of the whole. My culture in america, though i was always in sub-cultures when here; generally struggles with solipsism and a lack of vision for the whole, even within the church. Yet, we have a servant hearts and i think are historically generous, especially to the oppressed. Yet, we often stop growing spiritually, by being as Keith Green put it, aaslpee in the Light —so religious spirit or mere cultural christianity. I think going and serving other cultures is one medicine for the american church. Get outside of your own culture and listen to God out there.

My european friends often need the impartational empowering of The Holy Spirit, which often comes through real prayer. They need to see demonstrations of His Power—we are more used to that in America, at least in  many parts of His Body.

We know He can do miracles, as the Africans already know; but we don’t always know The Ways of The Father. I would like us work together to form and become a fuller image of God globally. To co-disciple and stir up one another in the the Fullness of His Headship. Which parts are your cultures missing? What parts are needed from other parts of His Body, so we can built up together as His Spiritual House!

Regardless of culture we have the responsibility according to ST Paul to put off the old man, put on the new; to take off the old nature and be renewed in the new nature which is turning into the Image of Christ. Our spirituality is to be active, and we play a huge part in this partnership of becoming in Him. We must enter into the part of ourselves He is renewing daily; we cannot be paralyzed by Grace, nor can we be complacent in Christ. He is active and ever living to make intercession. His Word must be becoming life in us etc. Each culture has unique blocks to becoming mature in Christ, but we must scout them out, and put them to death in ourselves, in order to become mature followers of The Perfect One.  Spiritual growth is not an option for any of us; but a command to grow up in Him, to become matured brothers and sisters of Christ.

What are your culture’s blocks to spiritual growth? How have they played out in your own life and those around you? How can you take them off and move on in spiritual development? How can you pray for your culture to do the same? If you are called to disciple or spiritually parent another nation or culture, how can you help it get beyond these blocks and mature in Him?  I think this would aptly to sub-cultures as well, such as the art world, or the business world etc. How does your little or bigger culture block spiritual development, and what can you do to overcome these blocks to knowing and manifesting the Life of Christ in this world. For He is renewing us in the knowledge of the Image of His Son.  The already not yet of the new creation!

Apiritual obesity is caused by being overfed and not exercising enough. America struggles with this.

Spiritual growth is trans-cultural—neither greek nor jew; yet, our blocks to growth are often culturally determined. We need to locate the blocks in our own culture and other’s to spiritual development; and learn to walk past and through them to come into the Fuller Life of Christ.  If we are under atheism for instance, it is radical and sometimes just rebellious to claim that there is a God. If we are in a God saturated place, on the cultural level, we have to discern where the True God is behind the billboards. We fight forms of cultural christianity for instance.

In a nutshell, God is bigger than culture, and works through it. Each culture unredeemed however, has unique blocks to spiritual growth. Finding these blocks is a key to living out the abundant life regardless of where you are.

Cultures have redeemed and unredeemed parts. It’s helpful to notice where the unredeemed parts can block our spiritual growth.