Archive for July, 2007

Who will Love Me for Me?

{ July 30, 2007 @ 7:43 pm } · { God's love, identity }
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This past week at Kadesh Life Camp we asked all week the question of Identity. A song that they played throughout the week had this line, “Who will love me for me?” I have pondered that question ever since. Sometimes I get so caught up in what others think. I know my heart and God knows my heart and I must count on that trust that we have to overshadow any other assumptions or suspicions. My wife loves me for me. She might not always like me for me, but she unconditionally loves me for me. My family loves me for me. My friends love me for me. The church loves me for me. While so many people love me in spite of me, I am not even remotely perfect. It’s funny, though how perfection is so important to me and irrelevant to those closest to me.

Those that love me for me, do so because they love me not for what they can receive from me, but because God has blessed us in relationship. When I think about my identity as a son of God, I know that the me that I am is being loved by the the God that He is!

-Michael

Tough Decisions

{ July 18, 2007 @ 1:41 pm } · { Conflict, tough Decisions }
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In ministry you are faced with many tough decisions. In fact in most careers you are faced with tough decisions. How you deal with them will speak to your tolerance level, maturity, and trust in God.
Some decisions for me come rather easy, like what to wear each day, what to eat, and when to go to sleep. However, I have been faced with some really big decisions this past couple of months. There have been big decisions at work. While I can’t go into most of them because it wouldn’t be appropriate for a public blog, I can say that the decisions affect me, co-workers, parents, students, and the church as a whole.
I have found that in the midst of these tough decisions that my strength comes from the Lord. I pray and pray and pray some more. Sometimes when I finish my prayer there is peace, other times there is conviction, and still sometimes there is anxiety and questions. While I know that God is with me and alive today, I also know that decisions must sometimes be made by humans. We make choices every day and many of them without prayer. God is in control and through his control He has given us choice.
You must know that I’m no whining about having to make tough decisions. When a challenge is placed in front of me I become focused and determined, rarely will I walk away. I don’t necessarily like confrontation or tense situations, but my personality doesn’t afford me the opportunity to ignore and walk away. While dealing with conflict and managing it is good, there are times you should ignore or avoid and not escalate. The conflicts that I have been dealing with lately were not earth-shattering, yet could not be avoided.
I appreciate our shepherds here and how they have supported our ministry. They have given wisdom, prayer, a listening ear, and have joined us in helping make tough decisions. Through making tough decisions we are able to ponder and meditate about how God is with us and how the Holy Spirit is guiding us. That’s what makes us grow when we face conflict. If we ignore or avoid a conflict that should be managed we rob ourselves of the opportunity to grow in the Spirit.
How do you feel about Conflict or tough decisions?
-Michael