One of the things I am still needing to learn (be reminded of) is that when God is leading He will lead for everyone who is to be involved. It may take time for the “team” to come around, but He is faithful to the end. When I get an idea and think it is from God I want to run right now and get going. Well, that behavior has cost me many different times but the desire is there to do this even at my “old age”.

It has always been good for me to test the water by running ideas like this past my wife. She is a good stabilizer for me just as my mom use to be when I was a kid growing up. God’s Work is confirmed by everyone directly involved in it and I always need to be reminded of this so I don’t run ahead of Him causing problems and making His inspiration not look like Him. When we are in tandem God’s Work shines. I want this to be the case as I wait upon the Lord to confirm where He wants me to focus myself with Him in this present year of 2022. I can be patient when I know I am doing so for God’s Light to shine abundantly.

Not so many days ago, less than a week, I was perplexed about God’s silence in the direction He wanted me taking in this year of 2022. I began to talk to Him about this and to journal about it. Now, a week later, I have been given so much insight that my head is whirling with opportunity. I don’t know what will become of this, but when God works, He truly works. I don’t know why I find this surprising for this is not the first rodeo I’ve had with God. Yet, each and every time I experience God’s working I have to sit back for a moment and simply say–WOW!

The meeting yesterday with our Celebrate Recovery group was a moment where God’s leading was very present from start to finish. I sure love being part of God’s Kingdom work. He is such an Amazing God and He gives us such wonderful support, leadership and insights through His Son Jesus, His Holy Spirit and His Word.

The journey does continue as the title of this blog states and what happens each day within the journey is what is critical. Yesterday I started writing about my desire to get my hands into “dirt”. I did a little of that by planting the seeds for some of the vegetables I’ll put in the greenhouse in a few more weeks. More importantly, I put my mind/hands into what our Celebrate Recovery leadership is meeting about today–the soil of Spiritual Work.

The gentleman who took my place as ministry leader 3 years ago asked that I do some training today on goal setting for our ministry in the coming year. I do a lot of this with the schools/districts I consult so I thought that would be no problem. My devotional reading and Bible reading in the past couple of days were tremendous insights into this topic helping me shift from man’s thinking to God’s leading. When man sets goals for man’s work we often call them SMART goals. SMART is an acrostic with each letter having purpose towards a well written goal. What is completely left out in this process is the relevant focus that the goals God wants for us in life or ministry must be inspired by Him and lived out in Faith. What would be a smart goal in a spiritual realm would not be considered smart in man’s world because man doesn’t rely on faith as the foundation of his work like God’s Work does.

I’m looking forward to the conversation and the outcome of today’s meeting. God’s goals and how we fit into them is a personal matter and also a collective one when we are a team working in His Ministry. I look forward to watching and experiencing how this comes together. God always sheds His Light when it is time for the Light to be given.

This morning as I started my journaling I took it upon myself to start by telling Jesus how much I needed Him to reveal something only He could reveal. In this winter month I find myself unable to get my hands into something worthwhile. Even though the work I do with schools and church is the same, I find myself wanting to do something in the dirt. I have my gardening magazines and catalogs, but that only inspires a moment. Well, in asking, I could never have fathomed the message He provided. My mind was filled with reminders of His Love and His Gratitude that we have this time every single day whether it is winter or spring or any other season. He walked me through the intricacies of His Spiritual Kingdom which man tries to put man’s science to when the Science of the universe is, in reality, the science of this Spiritual Kingdom for which we reside. The very seeds I plant in the garden seem dead, yet simply adding the ingredients required for them to ignite into growth makes that seed go from what seems dead to genuine life.

There is more to this story, but what Jesus was showing me was the ingredient to Spiritual Life today is adding Him to the spiritual seed of life in man. When we do so the seed of the new creation we are starts to grow. There are many, many weeds which can hinder this growth, but keeping ourselves equipped with the right tools, we can uproot those weeds.

Well, it is still January and my hands aren’t in the dirt of my garden, but Jesus did a marvelous job showing me the garden of Spiritual Life and my need to keep my hands busy in it whether the month is January or July.

Last night was Celebrate Recovery and what a blessed night it was. From the start to the finish God was working and His Spirit was well known. A gentleman I’ve known for many years had come. He had talked to me the day before and I had invited him. I wasn’t sure he’d want to be seen by the group thinking some would know him. He said he didn’t care. He needed to come clean and let God do His Work in his life.

The lesson last night was MORAL. Simply stated, MORAL means being honest at all levels. This lesson was a perfect fit for all of us. It prompted wonderful, gut-level honesty in the share group which followed. I couldn’t have been more proud of the men in our group. The honesty which came forth was something only God can prompt a man to confess. One of the biggest concerns is denying self-discipline for the power to change allowing God/Christ to be the power to change. I believe all of us struggle with this. We are so wired to be strong in ourselves that surrendering this pride so God can be our strength is something I have to do many times a day.

Today is a new day and I start it with God in the lead. I want to keep it this way throughout my day. Thank you Father!

This morning as I began to journal I had a number of things I wanted Jesus to “just take care of”. Some of them were about family, some were about the schools, some about the ministry folks, and a couple were personal about myself. I wanted them “done”. As soon as I was writing them down I knew this was total selfishness for God doesn’t work in my timeline and I don’t want Him to either. His timing is always perfect and mine is always selfish–lacking God’s perfection.

After writing these items and then committing/surrendering them to Jesus, I saw my post-it note which has the word PRAISE on it. It was then that I began to Praise God for what He would be doing and is doing that I know nothing about at this point in time.

How quickly I forget this hugely important ingredient in my walking with Jesus and learning to respond to The Holy Spirit’s nudges. I want to Praise Them for what I don’t know–Trusting what I cannot yet see. This is truly a daily lesson for me learning to live as a new creation.

Yesterday’s entry ended with the statement that I love how God gives these gentle but clear messages. Well, it happened again this morning. I won’t go into the total story of yesterday, but will summarize enough of it to give meaning to what took place. Every winter following being away from the work of schools (even when I was directly employed by a school district) I’d return after Christmas break feeling/wondering what God was really doing with me. The disconnect the break would provide was an opportunity for those voices of past to question any effectiveness God would intend. My emotions would be questioning what I do/did, etc. This has not changed over the years.

This morning as I journaled I asked God to help me separate my emotions from His purpose so I won’t make any “emotional decisions” which would go against His Leadership in my life. I want His Spirit and mine to grow in our relationship. As I had my devotional reading and Bible reading they were directly addressing this very topic. God wants us to grow in our spirit’s maturity not letting the ups an downs of our emotions to regulate what we do. The message I sought became very clear. I can tell my emotions that voices may come, but my spirit knows the difference between God’s Voice of Leadership from the voice of evil and flesh. I choose to obey what I know is God’s Voice.

Last night in our choir practice our director said something which I needed to hear. She was talking about the difficulty of learning some musical pieces or parts to them. Our human nature wants to skip over the most difficult and play/sing the ones which are the most enjoyable. She said she disciplines herself to not give in to this flesh message, but to stay with the most difficult areas until they join the enjoyable areas. Then, and only then, can she feel free.

I recognize this type of discipline she was talking about. I have to use it in my areas of work often so others know that new learning can and is difficult at times, but well worth it if we don’t give up ahead of the victory found in mastering the lesson. It is in the music field that I still hear the voices of defeat however. My dad was vicious with his words when I sang and did well. So, when I struggle with a song’s rhythm, word memorizing, etc., I quickly want to quit because the voices scream in my head reminding me that I deserve this difficulty and will never overcome it. I know beyond a shadow of doubt where these voices originate, but in the midst of them I often walk away from the discipline rather than fight through it. I don’t talk about it either as it seems I am weak if I need to.

Well, hearing this message last night reminded me that even at 71, a new creation is to never stop facing the past when Satan is working. I know to surrender these voices to Christ, my Redeemer, and I will continue to do this. I love how God works giving us these gentle, but clear messages!

Yes, the journey continues, and with it comes the awakening to a self I’ve tried to deny existed. Of late, God has been opening my eyes to His Love and Intimacy. I better see them and accept them for myself like I’ve never been able to do. What has been awakening for me which I didn’t expect is seeing my flesh for what it is.

Being awake to the fact that I’m a new creation is wonderful. The daily significance of this is recognizing God’s Spirit within me and trusting His Spirit’s leading. However, now that I am awakening to this reality, it also places the human perspective of my flesh. With God’s Spirit being alive in me I can’t help but see clearly just how selfish my flesh is. In my past I’ve always aligned my flesh along side of my dad’s or my brother and I’d easily forgive it because it didn’t look anything like theirs. My new creation only sees my flesh/my sin for the ugliness it is. Yes, I still see dad’s and my brother, but they now own their sin and I must own mine. This process of awakening has been coming for many years, but now I am very much awake to it.

The beauty of God’s Love is that even though my flesh is selfish, His Spirit is not flesh. God sees me through His Sacrifice–Jesus Christ. He wants me to see myself this way too. I can seek forgiveness for my sin and move into completing His nudges for the day. I don’t need to linger in my past, God wants me to live in His present/presence. There is so much peace in knowing what surrender of flesh brings. God is Love and I’m learning this more and more as each day comes.

John, writer of the books of John and I, II, & III John as well as Revelation is a writer of scripture like no other. He emphasizes the Love of God and Jesus over and over. He also brings into focus the depth of what God’s Love looks like and then he goes into our response to it. I’ve always known love and intimacy go hand in hand. However, I’ve had a very narrow picture of intimacy in how I’ve lived out life.

Love is fine. I can do it keeping distance in place. Intimacy, however, seems way to close to the body and there I cringe. I know this isn’t what God wants, but it is how my body responds to proximity and I’m working to address this. This morning’s scripture reading brings into focus just how intimate God wants His Love to be known by His creation–you and me. Not only this, but He wants us to be free to give His Love in the same way He offers it to us. I need work in this area and He is pointing this out to me.

God has made us a new creation through the cleansing blood of His Son Jesus. The new creation never becomes old either for Christ’s cleansing blood flows through us continuously. It is hitting this area of love/intimacy for me. My body may be getting old, but God wants my spirit to be free to receive His Love/Intimacy and free to offer it. New assignment!