AN INTIMATE ADVENTURE

God is calling us on an intimate adventure with himself, through a dark and dangerous world, amid a great war and many struggles towards an eternal destination that is beyond our wildest dreams, indescribably good and wonderful. 

NOT ENOUGH GOD (letter to my family)

Hi loved ones…for that is what you are at the end of the day, and what we are as a family. I hope none of us have any doubts about that.
I haven’t written you for some years, that is, a message from my heart. But once again, I feel the urge to do so, and knowing that some of you may not approve, or agree, while others will, whether voiced or not, still I cannot and dare not be silent, especially to those I love and am bound to as family. We must not keep silent when so much is at stake.
It’s Thanksgiving Sunday and I am so grateful for all of us, and everyday, no matter where I am in the world, I lift up my family, often individually, and always by family units, in prayer to God for your wellness, body, soul and spirit.
Here’s what is on my heart at this time. I wrote a song a few years ago called ‘Not Enough God’ and it’s on my 2008 release ‘In Love, At War, On Fire’. I’ll include the lyrics at the end of this email. I am struck time and time again, almost daily as I step out my door or watch the news or hear someone’s sad tale, that there’s just not enough God in this world. Tho He is still everywhere to be seen and heard, even in the suffering and heartbreak, if we are but accustomed to seeing and listening, there is still a war fought over our hearts and it is often dirty, ugly, and bloody. It is all around us and often we miss this reality as well as God’s beauty and wonders around us.
I think we have enough religion, enough dogmatism, busyness, and all that jazz…just not enough God, which is to say love, beauty, mystery, wonder, romance, adventure, righteousness, goodness, and life. We don’t need more rites and rituals, more tips, tricks and techniques. We just desperately need God. I do.
We are in a war, all of us, and I am made aware of this again today…we are fighting for our very souls, not only our own, my goodness, but for those of each other, and beyond that, our friends and loved ones outside our family.
I pray that our homes would be places where there is ‘enough God’…an abundance of God, a rich legacy of faith, love and hope, where our love for God and faith in Him is expressed freely and as naturally as breathing, eating and drinking. Where the very fibre of our being is rooted in His deep love for us, and our hearts are constantly longing for and reaching out to Him, depending on Him, hoping in Him. I imagine kids being brought up in this environment…and yes, I know there is a great battle for the kids and it is fought within our homes as well.
I know we don’t want to force our faith on others. We live in an age where it seems our highest aspiration is not to offend anyone. We want to allow our kids I’m sure, the freedom to choose their own God and their own faith, their own path…I get that. But I want to remind us of this (tho, I’m sure you know it better than I) they are being bombarded daily at school, by friends and peers, by internet, TV, radio, media in general…by an enemy who doesn’t give a rat’s ass about offense and tolerance and fairness. If they don’t have their own homes to come home to and experience something of God (again, I’m speaking of love, mercy, forgiveness, honour, courage, faith, hope), what chance have they? There’s simply not enough God out there for it to be a fair fight.
Let our homes, our families, be places where they/we are inundated with love and life and the evidence of God in our lives, our daily lives, thru the struggles and crisis, the glories and triumphs, the humdrum and ordinary days of our lives. Let us not hold back, let us not be ashamed, let us love God freely in front of all, boasting about Him, telling of his rescues in our lives, His mercies, His protections, His ‘coming thru’ for us time and time again. Let these stories be told over and over, passed down from generation to generation. Let us not silence, or even merely put up with, our moms and dads, our gramas and grampas for wanting or trying to tell these stories. They are stories of life, of an ageless love, of an amazing God who lives today and fights for our hearts as well, to bring them to life and freedom, to the only place they can be eternally found…in Him.
Let us fight well, valiantly, and proactively for those we have been entrusted to.
With love, and in the battle with you for our hearts, rob

NOT ENOUGH GOD

Underneath the surface, underneath all the lies
Underneath the disguise, underneath there’s a
Heart that is crying for life, that is longing
For love, just to love and be loved

Is that too much to ask, is it too much to want
Are we foolish to dream, is it too high a cost
Are we under a curse, and we realize it not
Do we still have a chance if we reach out to God

Not enough time, not enough air
Not enough man, to keep the girl
Not enough life, not enough love
There is surely not enough God
In this old world

I’ve been looking around, I’ve been watching the game
And it all seems the same, if you open your eyes
If you get off this ride, maybe there is a chance
Maybe there is romance

© 2006 Rob Berg

My Prayer and Thot for you today

I had a this thot today for someone I love and care about. I wanted to share it here as this is what I would also desire and pray for you, this year and for all your life: that you would fall in love with Jesus (heart, soul, mind and strength) over and over again, for the rest of your life…deeper with each time; that you would be swept up in love with Him, and realize more and more you are His beloved, and that with me and the rest of God’s children, we are the bride of Christ, his chosen, his treasured possession, the apple of his eye, the one He delights in. That is us. Always remember and remind yourself of who you are, and whose you are. You are not cursed or rejected, broken or unwanted, you are not ordinary, not unloved, not dirty or wicked, you are not damaged goods. You (we) are his beloved, his betrothed…and yes, tho we may have areas in our hearts that are damaged from sin, either ours or the sins of others against us…God is in the process, thru Christ and His death, ressurection and ascension (if we allow Him in), of healing and restoring those damaged areas so that our hearts are not only good, but whole again. This is our destiny in Christ.

And you will know the truth and the truth will set you free…John. 8:32 (NIV)

AN INTIMATE ADVENTURE

God is calling us to an intimate adventure with Himself, through a dark and dangerous world, amidst great battle and many struggles, to an eternal destination that is indescribably good and unimaginably wonderful.

I bet this doesn’t sound like anything you’re used to hearing in your typical sunday sermon. It’s more like ‘God wants you to be holy, good, better’ etc. It’s more often tips and techniques on how to be a better serving christian or moral person…and they may be mostly true, but there is a much bigger story here that many are missing and it’s what we’re missing that’s killing us.
We won’t be the servants God wants us to be, bound only by duty and obligation, and we won’t go to the ends of the earth for Him unless we’re deeply in love with Him and our hearts fully engaged.

I believe the caption above is the desire of God’s heart and as we read and study His Word with a revived heart, I think the evidence is quite clear.

God isn’t just looking for us to be good little christians, not sinning, behaving decently and being nice to one another. John 4:23 says He’s seeking for those who will worship (love and adore) Him in spirit and truth. We are called to take up our place in the story God is telling, an epic story filled with danger, drama and adventure.
Our part in the tale was ordained and planned for us long before we ever arrived here. Psalm 139:13-16 says He created our inmost being (our heart, where we do our deepest thinking, hold our most precious memories, know the greatest joy and love, and the deepest pain) and that all the days ordained for us were written in His book before one of them came to be. Not just the number of those days, but the story of them.
We have a unique role in the story, and for this we were born. It is where we will be the best we can be, where the glory of God will shine bright from our hearts, where we are being restored toward life to the full…being fully alive.
In Christ and Christ alone, we find our identity, our destiny and our mission here in this world. And it is in walking with Him daily in this close relationship that we discover all this as we take the journey, the intimate adventure we were meant for.
God could have made us all robots and thereby better servants, if that was his chief purpose…but no, we are saved and rescued from the kingdom of darkness for an intimate love adventure with Christ. The account of Mary and Martha in Luke 10 reminds us of this.
This is the appeal of the gospel, and what stirs our hearts with hope for that which we mostly deeply long for within, to love and be loved and be caught up in a great romance and adventure of epic proportions.
Let’s come alive in the story God’s telling, becoming who we were born to be. We are now well into this epic tale, the hour is late, the world is waiting, and God is calling. Do we dare?

A B.R.A.W.D. Perspective on the Narrow Way

      Yes, it’s true that christian believers are often branded as narrow-minded people, and to some extent it has to be so, since we follow the One who’s claim is that he is the way, the truth and the life, and nobody can come to the Father except thru him (John 14:6).  So without apology, we are on the narrow way, but that doesn’t mean our perspective need be narrow. Just the opposite, tho it seems many are sadly unaware, we have every reason to be wildly imaginative in our creativity, in our hopes and dreams, and also in the understanding of our faith as we live it out here in this life.

  Let me explain my b.r.a.w.d. perspective  as I see it from the scriptures, and from the experience of many a noble-hearted saint from the  Bible record and since that time.  To me, these are some of the  key elements of the faith that many are missing.

    B is for beauty.   David said that the one thing he desired above all was to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord, the epitome of beauty, the designer of all that is stunningly beautiful in this world and universe (starry skies, moonlit nights, sunsets over the ocean, horses on the plain, wind over a  field of wheat, a child’s smile, a lover’s kiss, all reflections of  this awesome, sovereign, creator God.  We need beauty, often. We don’t fare well without it. It seems God knew that when he created the universe. Isaiah 61:3 says He has given us a crown of beauty for ashes.  Beauty is a crucial part of our experience as followers of Christ.   

   R is for romance. Every beautiful and lasting romantic relationship between a man and a woman in this world, has been but a pale reflection of a greater, eternal, sacred romance between God and his people. Paul says in Ephesians 5:32, that the relationship he’s decribing between husband and wife, is a profound mystery, but that’s he’s talking about Christ and the church.  What a completely joyful surprise to discover that what God is offering us, and inviting us to, is almost unbelievably  to fall in love with Him. Imagine being in love with God, and this touching the deepest parts of your being, satisfying (only partly now) the deepest cry of the human heart, any heart, anywhere…to love and be loved. Christianity is first and foremost a sacred romance.  

  A is for adventure. Following Christ is not for the tame of heart, or for those looking for an easier way. The easy way is usually the wrong way. He is not an easy lover. To love and follow him will require all your heart, courage and perseverance. This is afterall, the greatest love story of all time, and think about how Christ demomstrated his love to us, so you know there will be drama and adventure on our part. We don’t get a cruisy ride thru this life on the narrow road. In fact it’s filled with thrills and spills, but we do get home if we don’t give up. So hold on tight and embrace the adventure.    

   W is  for wonder. One of the wonderful things Christ accomplished for us at the cross was not only forgivness but restoration. This life has turned many a soul synical and skeptical. We didn’t start out that way. We entered this life’s journey with a sense of wonder and excitement, and now as I take my journey of faith, I am rediscovering the childlike wonder, the awe and intrigue of this epic tale I’ve been caught up into. There is much wonder if we have the eyes to see.

   D is for danger. You knew it couldn’t all be fun, didn’t you?  This journey we take as followers of Christ is not suburban  and predictable. It is often wild frontier, and there are many dangers, trials and snares as the old hymn states.  Of course there wouldn’t be adventure if it wasn’t dangerous. We must be alert, sharp, and keenly aware of it. We have an enemy, a villain as any good story does, and he’s out to steal, kill, destroy (John 10:10).  I am not encouraging you to pretend as if, or imagine that you have an dastardly, dark enemy who’s out to get you. I’m imploring you to realize that you do.  Live as if all these other elements: beauty, romance, adventure, and wonder, that are yours in Christ, are under threat of being lost and stolen, along with all you hold dear, knowing you must abide in Christ daily, and be on guard, fighting for them, for yourself and for those around you, as you are called to fight. This is a dangerous quest we are on.

HAPPILY EVER AFTER?

Why do some of us have such a hard time believing in heaven,  an eternal paradise,  ‘happily ever after’ etc? These are the themes of the fairy tales most of us were fairly taken with when we were children, weren’t they? Ah, but that’s it, when we were children.   We have experienced enough disappointments in our lives since then to wisen us up to the fact that that’s all they were…fairytales. How silly we were to believe in true love, in great adventures and  living forever in this state!

Or were we?  Have a look around. Observe and listen. Stop and gaze up at the sky some dark starry night, or wake up and watch a sunrise, or catch the sun going down over the ocean’s horizon. Listen to a baby’s laugh, or a song that is hauntingly beautiful, and consider…where did all this come from?  Are you kidding? Bumbles bees and kangaroos, killer whales and giraffes, snow,  the northern lights, passionfruit, a woman’s long hair, a lover’s kiss…all this and so much more, and not some designer/lover God behind it all?   Just a freak accident?

Well, if that’s our conclusion, we can’t be blamed for being synical about a happily ever after. After all, we hit it incredibly lucky once, getting all this by accident, so what are the odds of it happening again in any eternity?  Makes the chances of winning the lottery seem downright optimistic in comparison.

Even after so many years of doing our best to mess up this planet, there are still miracles of life and stunning beauty surrounding us daily. Is heaven and and ‘happily ever after’ really such a stretch?  Could you have even begun to imagine all this before us now? Probably not, but then just try to imagine, if you could,  what an amazing, loving, omnipotent God could imagine and prepare for his true love…us, his own who love and dare believe Him.  Not only can he imagine it, he is preparing it and he’s God, he can pull it off.  Do we dare believe in ‘happily ever after’?  Do we come and  enter into his love story?

Lovers and Fighters Part 2

  “I’m a lover, not a fighter”…you’ve probably heard this common phrase a number of times in your life, maybe even meant sincerely, but most often used by someone who doesn’t want to soil themselves, or get themselves into a situation where they might get hurt.  Of course we in the modern day church have seemed to aquiesce to the same sentiment in general, and I’m not talking about using our fists or taking up arms here. There is a war on a much grander scale that the Bible talks about and that has been going on since time began, and it involves two invisible kingdoms, fighting to the death over the souls of mankind, you and I.
  The fact that many in the church are either blind or choose to ignore this war doesn’t make it go away or less relevant. In fact, this just affirms the very real effects of it, and some of the enemy’s stratagies against us. He lulls us to sleep, and he keeps us in a fog, for if we don’t recognise there is a war or an enemy, well we aren’t going to be fighting one, are we?
  We don’t have the option as followers of Christ, to be lovers or fighters. We are to be both lovers and fighters. For we are caught up in a sacred romance with the King of kings, aspiring to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, and aspiring to love our neighbour as ourself (Mark 12:30,31) and Jesus said there is no greater commandment that these. And we are in a world at war, behind enemy lines so to speak (I John 5:19), and there are hearts we must fight for. We fight for the heart of our King, who calls us to follow after him, and who leads us in triumphal procession (2 Cor. 2:14), we fight for our own heart (Prov. 4:23), and we fight for the hearts of others (Prov. 24:11, Jude:23). We fight for, and because of love, for the love of Christ compels us and we no longer regard anyone from a worldly point of view (2 Cor. 5:14,16).
  We all, everyone of us who calls themself a christian, have a crucial role in this story. I challenge and encourage you to start seeing yourself as a passionate lover and a valiant fighter. As you do, your life will change dramatically. It will take on a new meaning, as you have never known, but were always meant to. A warning here, this will change your life, and your whole view of life and the world you live in, and especially your part in it all. Of course it will be contested, and as it is a fight, you must be ready for a fight. The enemy won’t just sit back and let his worst fears be realized, that you begin to know who you are in Christ, and start shining like a star in the universe (Phil.2:15). This is not the safest way to live at all, but it’s life, and this is the story, one in which you have a critical role, as a true follower of Jesus, as a lover and a fighter.

LIFELINE

   Quiet times, devotions, whatever you may have known this christian discipline as, was probly something most of us either struggled with or still do. A daily time in prayer and reading the Bible doesn’t exactly sound  all that exciting…especially for men.  And even more so when we don’t see our faith as a fight (fight of faith), as the fight of our lives. We are fighting for life, life to the full as John 10:10 states, this life that Jesus freely offers and that Satan is bent on stealing,  killing, and destroying in us.  

Do you think I have my quiet time  because it’s a nice  little christian thing to do?  No, not anymore at least. This journey we take is dangerous and there’s  so much at stake. I’m desperate. I need this. It’s my lifeline. The connection to God is my life, and the discipline of connecting regularly  is far more than my duty, my religious observance, but the only way I’ll get thru this alive, and to where I want to be. And not only me, but for those I love and care for and whose hearts I fight for.  This deep intimacy with Christ is everything I long for, and absolutely crucial.     

We’re in a war…Rome is burning as the saying goes!  How can we be having our nice little tea parties and merely practicing our proper christian disciplines, when all this drama and danger is unfolding around us,  when the lives of those we care about, and even our own, are being fought for.  Grab tight and hold on!  The discipline isn’t the end, it’s the means to an end, and  the end is victory, life and freedom.

We don’t  do this quiet time thing, and many men in particular won’t, for discipline sake,  or  merely because it’s the good christian’s duty,  but  just maybe for  life, and the lives of those we love and are fighting for. We’re fighting for our lives, and others, and we’re doomed without a strong connection to Christ, our Head. If we really got a handle on this, if we really saw things as they were, I don’t think we’d have to twist people’s arms or use guilt and whatever other formulas and techniques have been used in the church, to try and  get people, and men in particular, to force themselves to put in a bit of time to spend with God.  It’s almost  like we perceive it as medicine, not enjoyble, and certainly not tasty, but is somehow supposed to be good for us. This is life, this is unsearchable riches, this is the answer to the deepest longings of our hearts, and it’s being stolen from us, or at least those precious hearts all around us, and we need our arms twisted to get with God? We should be running, crying out, knocking on heaven’s door. I fear many of us have already been lulled to sleep, unaware of the treasure, the battle, and who and what is being fought for, and the price Christ paid for our freedom and life eternal.         

The New Testament writers keep urging us to hold on, to hold fast, to press on. This connection,  this intimacy is crucial and it’s the point. It is our lifeline. The discipline itself won’t save you. The formulas and techniques will certainly never be enough to see you thru to the battle’s end. It’s this deep connection to God, the trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) that will. He is our Life, and the prayer, and study of His Word, and whatever other means we meet with Him, these are the lifeline.      

Lovers and Fighters…Compelled.

  I was watching the film Braveheart again the other day, for about the twelfth time or so, and with great movies as these, it seems almost every viewing reveals some new truths or perspective you hadn’t picked up on before. Now it’s obvious to most of us that Wallace is portrayed as a great warrior and fearless leader, but maybe to not as many of us that he didn’t really want to fight, and to lead the charge for Scotland’s freedom. He just wanted to raise a family and his crops, as he stated his intentions to those trying to enlist him in revolt, upon returning to his homeland as a man. 
   So what was it that made him a fierce fighter? What compelled him to battle? It was love. When his new bride Murron, the love of his life, was murdered by the English Lord to lure him into capture, something dramatically changed in Wallace. He then had a cause. He then saw a reason to fight. And fight he did, a fierce and savage warrior, inspiring courage and heart in his band of followers. He fought for Scotland’s freedom, and for the honor of his true love Murron til his dying breath.  
  Both men and woman of all ages and walks of life love this story, possibly the woman more for the romantic aspects and the men for the courageous and noble sides of the story.  But what makes the story so endearing to our hearts, is that it unifies these powerful themes. Wallace fought savagely because he loved fiercely, and people all over the world find that irressistable in a story. This may be just the first part of a series I hope to write here on the theme ‘Lovers And Fighters’.
   God too, without doubt is renowned in His Word as a lover and fighter… of course He’s the ulimate lover and fighter. There is evidence of this from cover to cover but just for starters, John 3:16, that most famous of scripture verses, relates that God so loved the world, He gave his only Son.  Exodus 15:3 tells us that the Lord is a warrior.  Besides these short and ’to the point’ references, there are hundreds more stories and accounts in His Word that portray Him in this light. Psalm 45 is one of my favorite chapters where again, these two themes are beautifully intertwined.
  God isn’t just big and tough and likes to kick butt to show everybody who’s in charge around here. I believe God is fighting for us, his beloved. He is at war for the hearts of mankind, his creation. He so loves us all that He has literally moved heaven and earth to win us back. His love compells him to fight. And make no mistake, there is a ferocious war going on even today, for the hearts of all people. The kingdom of God warring against the kingdom of darkness (whereby we’ve been rescued, those who have faith in Christ, God’s Son. Colossians 1:13), two invisable forces fighting to the death over you and I.  
   As his people, we are compelled to also fight, compelled by love…our love for God and our love for those He loves, all peoples.  We fight for the heart of our great King Jesus, and we join him in fighting for the hearts of mankind.  Christ’s love compells us (2 Corinthians 5:14).  Let us become His lovers and fighters.  More to follow.
       
 
 

The Adolescent Church

   
  So it was the last Sunday of 2009, and I was at a church and they were having testimonies all morning, instead of the sermon. Folks were coming up and sharing, each in a few minutes, their stories from 2009. I was struck by the similar tone that most of them had, and just a little concerned as many of these people seemed to have some role of leadership or responsibility in the church.  Now there were some great exceptions which were really encouraging and for which I wanted to applaud and say ”yes, good on you, keep on going”. But here is what seemed like the gist of most of them:  “it was a really hard year, and I realized I was trying to do it all on my own, but finally I just gave up and invited God into this difficult situation, and He came and changed everything. So when you come to the end of yourself, and you realize you just can’t do it, you just have to let go and let God and then He takes over, and it’s okay”…and so on.
  I’m sure that even sounds quite familiar with many of you who have been part of the church scene for any amount of time, and you’re probably wondering, what the heck is wrong with that?  For what they’re worth, here are the thoughts I was left with over the next few weeks: 
 It reminds me of the children of Israel in the desert for forty years. Why are we not getting past this? Why, even after many years of following in the faith, are we having to ‘come to an end of ourselves’ time after time, before it hits us that gee, maybe we should let God have a go at it from the start? Maybe this is what God had in mind after all…actually having us walk with him.  Why aren’t we abiding in Christ, and realizing he’s abiding in us, so that we can (he in us) not only handle life’s hardships and anything else thrown at us, but do glorious and noble deeds, overcoming and living great lives?  

 It kind of shows to me how far  we have yet to go. How we live quite distant from God, wandering about in the wilderness, not really getting anywhere, and allowing him access to our lives only when we hit a wall. We are meant to live in him, abide in him, in him to live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28). Intimacy with God is the point.    

 What kind of people do you have to do everything for?…Babies!  What kind of people think they don’t need any help?… Adolescents!   God wants to grow us up. Now I know there are in reality, babes in Christ and young believers, who with no shame, fit into these catagories, but it seems to me we may be a church generation of adolescents.  Oh, a little connection to God here and there, especially in crisis, and touching base with him once a week or so, but mostly living quite independantly from God on a day to day basis.

 How about this?  Living in intimate communion with, and dependancy upon God forever, and him raising us up, training us to be strong, to do great and noble deeds, maturing to seasoned followers, disciples, lovers and fighters, men and women of God, who represent him well, as 2 Cor. 5:20  exhorts us: We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though Christ were making his appeal through us.  1 Cor. 3:9 says we are God’s fellow workers.
   It’s not about doing it on our own, then failing,  then letting God do it, and so removing ourselves from any meaningful part of the story, or the relationship.  He wants to grow us, to become like Christ (2 Cor. 3:18). Now there may be times in our growth, when God steps back and lets us take a few steps, to learn how to walk, so that we grow and develope, in character and strength, becoming more like him, but all the while, and by, remaining in intimate fellowship with him.
   Remain in me and I will remain in you. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit. Apart from me, you can do nothing. John 15:4,5. (NIV).   
     Please know  that I realize there are at times some really difficult challenges and assaults on our hearts, and I’m not saying we should  breeze through them all. Not at all. But I am saying we need to learn to walk with God, the trinity, in intimate daily communion, to face all life’s battles and heartaches with him and in him, right from the outset.