Jon-Mical, my grandson, goes to a Methodist church preschool. I take him every morning and pick him up at noon. One day someone had painted a big cross on the parking lot. Jon-Mical said, “Look PoppyC. Jesus painted a cross on the parking lot.” Then he said with all the innocent affection and admiration that a three year old can muster, “That crazy Jesus.” Now whenever Jesus does something special for us, (and He does a lot!) we all say, “That crazy Jesus.”
Jesus used a lot of different ways and words to bring about healing. In fact, it hardly seems He ever healed any two people in exactly the same way. One time He speaks, another time He touches, and sometimes they even touch Him. Once when the disciples were in the boat and it was stormy He spoke, “Peace, Be still.” Another time He just decided to walk out to them…ON THE WATER.

It seems to me that if Our Lord was not confined to one treatment pattern, if He did not stick with one single modality, then it behooves (I love to be behooved) us to, as Paul says, “become all things to all people so that I might save some.” God seems to make a point of variety, look around you, and He may desire that we be willing to be creative and varied in our attempts to bring healing to others.

Listen, I am as much a rut person as the next guy. I go to and from work the same way every day. I park in the same place. I eat the same oatmeal for breakfast every morning. I have one really comfortable pair of jockey shorts (but let’s don’t go there.) I’m just saying I can get very comfortable with my routine. And that’s okay. When I do the same thing over and over I know it better. I am prepared for all eventualities inside my routine. I can explain it better to others. And I have faith that my routine works. Someone comes in for counseling, I do an intake, I ask them about their family of origin, we go over their APS Temperament profile, and we’re off to the races.

But maybe, just maybe, God is saying that we are all “fearfully and wonderfully made,” that we all bring unique and complex issues to the table and those things get all intertwined in a way that is a little bit different for everybody. Maybe God is saying, “If you trust me I will show you a new way, maybe several new ways, to bring healing and hope to the broken-hearted.”

That is the model that Branches is built on. We believe healing comes just one way and only one way, God does it. But having said that, sometimes He uses EMDR, sometimes talk therapy, sometimes inner-healing prayer, and sometimes deliverance. You know what, sometimes He heals and doesn’t even use me. THINK OF IT!

A few weeks ago I talked to a guy that I had seen a few times and then he didn’t come back. He came up to me in a store to thank me for the amazing changes in his life and how I had helped him so much. His wife was there and she said, “Since he met with you he has been a completely different person. We could not be more happy.” Cool. I’m feeling great so I asked him, “What did I say that made the difference?” He knew immediately. “I can tell you exactly,” he said. “When you said this…..it changed everything for me.” I thanked him and they went on. You know what? I did not say what he said I did. Never have. It’s good. I might start saying to people but I didn’t say it to him. The Holy Spirit comes and He says what needs to be said and He uses what needs to be used and He heals in the way He desires.
So, get out of the rut. Trust God. He might bring healing to you today in new way that you never imagined. Or He might break through at last using the same old method that you have tried a hundred times before. I do know this. He will come. And He will heal. That crazy Jesus. He loves you like that.
Mike

But maybe there is another way of looking at it. Maybe I become increasingly less dependent on my own abilities and ever more dependent on the Holy Spirit in my life. Maybe one day I wake up and realize that He was driving the boat all along and I have only been along for this marvelous ride. Maybe the principle I need to follow is the one modeled by that other guy named Peter who stuck his foot in his mouth every time he leaned on his own resources but changed the world on the day he finally trusted the Holy Spirit of God.

Acts 2:38, Peter who has failed, fallen, and really fouled up, denied Christ, ran from adversity, been hiding in an upper room for 40 days, steps out in front of the crowd in Jerusalem and says, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the Name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Do you get the impact of that? This mob is the very group that yelled for Christ to be crucified a few weeks earlier. They are the same guys than ran through the streets with torches looking for more Galilean followers to string up. And now, in their face Peter says, “This Jesus whom YOU CRUCIFIED is both Lord and Christ.” And 3000 of them are saved. Put that in your pipe and smoke it Mr. Promoted Beyond Your Ability. Of course, he was. Peter couldn’t have confronted that crowd on his own. The Holy Spirit did it in him.

We have been talking for 5 weeks now about the abundant life, the life that is more than we are living, greater than we can imagine, and available to us when we really surrender ourselves to the Holy Spirit in us. On this final day I want to suggest some principles to live by, I call them the Spirit Principles. These are the things that I think come out of a life dead to self and alive in Christ. Do I do these things well everyday? Nope. Do I think it’s even possible for me to accomplish any of this? Nope. But when the Spirit is set free to work in me, and when I set my heart toward the Spirit Principles, God does things in me that….well, are just way beyond my pay grade.

The first word is PURITY. Galatians 5:16 says, “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” The Bible is chock full of reminders that we live by grace. We are saved by faith. We are seen by God through the blood of Jesus and our “goodness” is not of ourselves but comes from Him.

It is just as full of calls to holiness, holy living, righteousness and commands to live pure and Godly lives. It seems to me there is a principle here. In every area of life there is a price to be paid for greatness. I’m not talking about some legalistic duty or obligation to live a certain way. Christ has already taken care of that. But for those of us who desire to be sold out, on fire, devil defeatin’, Jesus freaks, tend to go the extra mile, pay the greater price, make the deeper commitment. Not because we have to but because, by the Spirit living in us, we want to. It’s true in all arenas. Michael Jordan in basketball, Luciano Pavorotti in singing, Mother Teresa in charity, Billy Graham in evangelism, Doris Courtney in playing the piano (she told me to say that one). People who have done great things have gone beyond their gifts, wonderful as they might have been, and paid the price for greatness. Let me be blunt. I don’t usually do it well but my desire is to be great for God.

Second word, POWER. Having said you have to pay the price let me remind you that that is not enough. You can’t do it on your own. Christ in you, now that’s another story. II Timothy 1:7 says. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” Listen, when you answer the call of God to use your life for His glory you can be sure that He has and will put everything in you that you need. You got the power. (Something in me wants to say, “Can I get a WITNESSSSSSS?) Here’s the principle. The power of God within us is ALWAYS greater than the circumstance of life around us.

You see part of the reason that I fail to pay the price is that I get overwhelmed. I give up. I’m defeated before I begin. I wrestled in high school. Once when I was in the 9th grade I went to the district level and wrestled a kid that was a 4th year senior. (It seemed like that to me.) He must have been 26 or something. All I know is when he grabbed me the first time his chin hit my chest and he had stubble, a two day bristle. I remember thinking, “He’s got a beard. I’m a kid and I’m wrestling a grown man. He will kill me.” And you know what? He did. I was beat before I started. Listen, we fight a defeated foe. We have the power, not him, and we can’t lose.

That leads me to the 3rd principle. Great people are captivated by noble desires. The word here is PASSION. The Holy Spirit, among other things places a vision within us that moves and motivates all we do. If you don’t have that in you go back to number 1. Start living the life and I promise you God will begin to set a fire in you that won’t be put out.

My young friend Renee Chambers is a hero to me. God put a vision in her to work with at risk teens in our community. She went out to California and enrolled in an apprenticeship to equip herself to follow her dream. After just a couple of months they cancelled the program. So what? Renee did not and has not quit. She has fought and scratched and stayed faithful. She has moved from office to office and printed out flyers with her own money. She has the power and the passion that can only come from the Holy Spirit and today she heads a strong, effective ministry in our town called SOZO. Here’s what Joel said about the Holy Spirit in 2:28, “I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams and your young men (and women) will see visions.” That will put some passion in you.

Well, I’ve got to quit so let me give you one more. (There were seven in the original lesson I taught. Make me write a book about these.) Word number four is PURPOSE. And the principle is this. A great life is a life lived on purpose.

I’m almost back to principle # 1. You don’t stumble in to being significant for Jesus. You don’t accidentally live a life of surrender and sacrifice and super-natural influence. Remember, all of the power comes from Him. Everything we do we do in and through and because of Him. Apart from Him we can do NOTHING. BUT…we start. We decide. We move. We make up our minds. We determine. WE DO WHAT WE DO FOR CHRIST ON PURPOSE. Paul says things like, “Make it your aim.” “Let this be your goal.” And in my life verse, Philippians 3:10, “I want to KNOW Christ…” Then, “I press on.” There is purpose there.

We are people of grace. Our old selves have died. We have been crucified with Christ. But we have in us the ability, and hopefully the desire, to set our steps toward Godliness and spiritual greatness. And that only happens on purpose. My father-in-law is one of those Godly and great men. Never accomplished a lot from the worlds perspective but he has been such a man of God that his life has influenced generations of men and women for Christ. He is a saint in every sense of the word. I have heard him pray hundreds of time down through the years. He prays as he lives, directed by the Holy Spirit, empowered by the Holy Spirit, full of the Holy Spirit. I don’t believe I have ever heard him pray when he did not say this, “Only one life will soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last.” That is a great life. That is a principle worth living by.

Every spring I enjoy certain traditions. I like to give the house a good cleaning. I start thinking about planting flowers. And because I live in middle TN, I clear out our tornado closet. (This is more a necessity than a favorite.) We happen to live in a very volatile springtime area. In fact, just three days ago we were set to hunker down in our closet, if needed. Which all got me thinking about how we survive the metaphorical storms in our life, which can and often do, come during all seasons.

God’s word has much to say about this, and this is certainly not all of it, but a few things to remember, if you or someone you love is in a stormy season:

1. Don’t try to explain the “why” as a way to prove God’s plan or purpose.

When Job went through his lengthy trial, one of the ways his friends tried to help was to offer their theories on why he was suffering. (They got chastised by God himself for this, by the way.) But, I think I understand their dilemma. When someone we love is suffering, and we watch their discouragement, we want to help them make sense of it all. I think we even feel pressured to make sure God doesn’t “look bad”. So we theorize. We come up with plausible explanations for why this is being allowed.  The main problem with this is: we don’t know why! Isaiah 55:8 tells us that our ways and thoughts are not God’s ways and thoughts. A much better approach is to go back to the cross. At the cross, all issues of God’s goodness and love for us are settled. “He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all- how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Rom. 8:32) The proof of God’s love for you is found in knowing there was no length He would not go to, in order to create a way for you to come back to Him. If he was willing to sacrifice his own son, then what good thing will he withhold? Our perspective on suffering must be filtered through the lens of the gospel. We may not ever know why- but we can be confident that God loves us and is working for our good and His glory in ALL things (Rom. 8:28).

2. Don’t go through it alone.

So often, we try to ride out the storms in silence, not wanting to bother or burden others. But the bible is clear that we are to “share one another’s burdens” (Gal 6:2). When we go through crisis or struggle, often we are in shock. Our thinking is not always clear. We need stronger, loving people around us to guide us and encourage us, until we get back on our feet.

3. Cry out to God.

When the disciples were in the boat and Jesus was sleeping below, and the biggest storm of the season blew in, they cried out to Jesus. Not the most poetic of prayers either- they actually woke him up with the question, “Don’t you care that we are going to drown!?” (Mark 4:37-39) This is what I love about that story- we don’t come to God in our strength to “wow” Him into helping us in a crisis. Just come to Him! In your brokenness, doubt, fear, faithlessness, weakness and vulnerability- cry out! As he did for the disciples, he will do for you. Jesus offers peace that is not based on circumstances. Phil. 4:7 calls this a “peace which transcends all understanding”. That means, it makes no sense, but we experience it all the same. Sometimes, Jesus calms the storm. Sometimes he calms your heart in the middle of it, while the storm rages on. It’s God’s miraculous work, but it is real. I see it all the time in the lives of clients, friends and even in myself.

4. Take care of your own needs.

When we go through a trial or crisis, sometimes we just forget to eat. Or sleep. Or pay bills. (Another reason for point 2- see above). But if we follow Jesus’ example throughout the gospels, we see Him take care of what his body needed to keep going. Sometimes he stopped to rest. Sometimes he sent the disciples to get him some food. He delegated responsibility. He slept and prayed and sent people away when he needed time alone. When you are in a stormy season, set limits on what you can and can’t do. Spend time alone with God. Spend time caring for your basic needs. Ask for what you can’t do for yourself.

The old expression says, “March comes in like a lion, and goes out like a lamb.”  When you are in a trial or storm, remember this: The Lion of Judah has marched into the darkest battle ever waged on your behalf and came out victorious! There is no storm you face God cannot see you through.

The year before his son’s 12th birthday, the king said to his son, in one year you will be 12. What gift can I give you now in anticipation of that important day? The stopped son very quickly replied, “A statue of me. A marble statue of me in the center of the garden standing straight and tall and strong.” The old king was crushed. How cruel it would be for his beloved son to be reminded everyday of what he was not, to see the stone image mocking him for his misshapen figure. But he kept his promise and had the statue built and placed in the center of the garden.

Every day, for hours on end, the young, deformed prince would go out into the garden and stand in from of the statue. He would, with great effort, contort his back and neck, strain with all his might, trying to look up into the face of the boy whose image he wished he could be. Day after day, rain or snow, the lad would stand and strain and stare. The court people whispered. They shook their heads sadly but he was undeterred. Towards the end of that year an interesting thing began to happen. As the boy strained each day to look into the face of the statute muscle and sinew began to stretch. Calcified connections to bone and spine began to give way. Every day the young boy would look up and almost imperceptibly, up would not be as far away as it was the day before.

On the day of his 12^th birthday he invited his father out into the garden. Surrounded by friends and family, he took them to the center of the garden to stand in front of the statute. Then, to their amazement, he arched his back, stretched his neck, squared his shoulders and like a conquering hero, through his arms in the air in celebration. He was tall and straight and looking the marble statute right in the eye. And from that day he never had to bow his head again.

Isn’t that a neat tale? We are on week 5 of a 6 week look at the Abundant Life. Today the passage that comes to my mind is II Corinthians 3:18. Paul says. “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”

The Abundant Life is a life given by and lived in the Spirit of God. It is a life lived above fear of failure and with courage over our circumstances. It comes with His presence and His power and we do not somehow survive and Christ followers, we thrive. We are “more than conquerors” and we “can do ALL things through Christ.” Good stuff!

But I am thinking today that maybe the most significant offering of the Abundant Life is the passion of the Spirit to make us like Christ and the power He possesses to bring us through the process of daily change into His image.  One translation says we are being changed from “glory to glory.” In small increments, little improvements at a time, like the prince looking at the statute, the Holy Spirit is transforming us into the likeness of the Christ that we adore. That process, that change is the very life of what it means to walk with Him. We do not adhere to a bunch of rules and regulations. We are not slaves to structure and institutional faith. We are learning and laughing and falling down and stretching and becoming more like Him every day. The 15^th century theologian Erasmus said this,       “The Glory of God is always found in movements of love, in communication of life, never in static outline, cramped piety, thoughtless repetition, conventional observance of religious acts. Those things become the letter of the law that kills, the tyranny of the sinful self. The Spirit by contrast is wind, fire, light, water, Glory; the unexpected, the transforming, the self-communicating, the self-outpouring power that shapes by embracing and not letting go. The way if the disciple is necessarily a way of discipline because discipleship is a living school in which we learn to be like Christ by intimate association with Him.”

We are being changed by the Spirit of God. Fantastic! And that change is about joy, and peace, and power, and enthusiasm. And best of all, it comes from Him. We simply relax in His presence and let Him work in us. But…what do I do while I relax? How do I live so that I am most receptive to the formative freshness of the Father flowing in me?

Here are some practical suggestions for putting yourself in the best place to be changed:

1. Remember His love. Every day, in every way, I focus on the grace and mercy of Our Amazing God.  I see His love for me in a thousand examples from my daily walk, the laughter of my grandchildren, the beauty of the sunrise, the warmth of our fireplace; all singing reminders that He loves me. He is crazy about me. In fact, that is what the Word is about. It is a love letter from Him to me. I read the Bible everyday not to get new marching orders but to be reminded that HE LOVES ME. Wow! Paul prays in Ephesians 3:18-19 that we “may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”
2. Invite His presence. That is why I pray. Now I know that the Spirit of God lives in me. That’s what this Abundant Life stuff is all about. But I have come to believe that He needs to hear me invite Him again into the activities and affects of my life. He is a gentleman and He does not force Himself into my day. I begin the day saying afresh and anew, “Lord, this day is Yours. Guide me as I try to be more like You today.”
3. Learn His voice. “Be still and know that I am God.” I’m not very good at either one of those things. Mediation is a foreign idea to me. But as He is changing me I find great value in mulling over and morsel of scripture, in contemplating the King of Creation. By waiting quietly without rushing into my list of, “And God do this” stuff I am becoming increasing familiar with His language and the lilt of His message to me.
4. Finally, follow His steps. I know this seems a little redundant but part of the way I become like Christ is by doing the things that Christ does. It forces me to be aware of my choices. It requires me to exercise my faith. It enables me to see my influence at work. And it creates in me a passion for His people. Take a minute and watch this clip today.
   http://www.cnn.com/video/standard.html#/video/living/2012/02/11/eds-story-my-garden.cnn?iref=allsearch. It’s called Ed’s Garden.

Mahatma Gandhi said, “I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. They are so unlike Christ.” I think he was right but it doesn’t have to be. Go out in the garden. Pull yourself up straight and tall and look into the face of the One who is making you like Himself. You will be amazed at how you”ve grown.

Mike

(Read all six thoughts from the series on Abundant Life and more blogs by Mike at www.branchesrecoverycenter.com or subscribe to www.mikecourtney.blogspot.com)

The priest, who is the weak, cowardly character in the movie says to Balian, “We must surrender the city. We cannot defend it. We have no knights.” Balian turns to a frightened teenage boy in the center of the ragtag band of men. “Kneel,” he commands him. And then to the whole group, “Kneel.” They sink to their knees with the priest and the scared women and children looking on. Balian bellows to the entire band the oath that he had taken as a blacksmith just a few months earlier. “Be without fear in the face of your enemies. Be brave and upright that God may love thee. Speak the truth always even if it leads to your death. Safeguard the helpless and do no wrong. That is your oath.” Whack! He backhands the teenager across the face and says, “And that is so you will remember it.” Then he screams at the boy and at the group, “Rise a knight. Rise a knight.” You can see the change come over the face of this motley crew as his words sink in and they stand with a courage and character inside them that was not there before.

The naysayer priest is not satisfied. As Balian is walking off he yells after him, “Who do you think you are? Will you alter the world? Does making a man a knight make him a better fighter?” Balian spins around and  glares at the priest and then at the brave band of men that he has just addressed. He looks back at the priest and in one word, almost a whisper he says, “YES!”

The Holy Spirit comes to us to do many things. Perhaps the most powerful of those things is to remind us of who we really are in Christ. We are sons and daughters of the King. We are children of God. It does not matter where we have come from or how heinous our past. When we are baptized in the blood of the Lamb “we are new creatures in Christ Jesus,” (II Corinthians 5:17) and “His Spirit bears witness with our Spirit that we are the sons of God.” (Romans 8:16) Whack! Don’t you ever forget it. God has done something deep inside of you if you have given your life to Him and you are no longer who you used to be. You are now who He says you are. That is amazing. I don’t live in fear about the future. I don’t cower in the face of my circumstances. Finances, relationships, physical ailments are nothing compared to what the Holy Spirit of God is doing in me. I am somebody. You are somebody. You are a knight or a knightess or whatever…. You are filled with the power and presence of God.

Beth Moore has done such a great job of teaching that message with her five fingered object lesson. She starts with her thumb and holds up one finger at a time. (Do that now. Go ahead. Nobody is watching.)

1. God is who He says He is.

2.  God can do what He says He will do.

3. I AM WHO GOD SAYS I AM!

4.  I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:13)

5. The Word of God is living and active in me.

Whack again! Rise a knight. I’m ready to battle the world after saying that. Aren’t you?  “I tell you the truth,” Jesus says, “Anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” (John 14:12) The Holy Spirit is saying to you right now. “You are a world changer. You can overcome this event in your life. You will be used greatly by me. YOU ARE A CHILD OF GOD!”

Yea, yea, that’s all well and good but what difference does it make. It’s just words on a page. I’m not sure it changes anything. Does saying I can do all things through Christ make me a better person?

YES! YES! It does change you. So say it. I can do all things through Christ…now rise a knight.

Mike

(To read more messages by Mike and to be get his weekly blog sign up at www.mikecourtney.blogspot.com)

7:24am A man in the corner of the station opens a violin case as no one really takes notice. Another street performer. 7:26am After rosining his bow, two notes are played in unison as he tunes his old violin.

7:27am A whirlwind of notes burst vibrantly forth from the violin and quickly crash into the sound of footsteps and loud murmurings of “excuse me” and “move” as the music meshes with the passer-bys like waves crashing into the side of a cliff.

7:42am The violin case lays open at the street performers feet welcoming any tips as his music goes forward. He has made $8.17 so far.

7:53am A young child stops momentarily to listen to the street performer as her mother quickly prods her along trying to get her to school on time.

8:01am A businessman on a cell phone trips over the sprawled violin case spilling the street performers $13.78 everywhere. The businessman looks over his shoulder and scowls as the performer continues to play.

8:09am A climatic flurry of notes spill from the violin filling the subway station with more liveliness and vigor than was contained by the entire 2,000 people that passed by this morning.

8:12am The music ends with a single note hanging sweetly in the air and the street performer takes his final bow to an audience of none.

8:15am The door to the subway station closes behind Joshua Bell, the street performer who had been playing one of the most complex Bach concertos on a $3.5 million Stradivarius violin in one of the busiest subway stations in Washington DC. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged over $100 a seat to sit and listen to him play the same music.

Let me tell you another story.

4:34pm The house is filled with a hushed energy as two ladies franticly rush to finish any last minute cleaning before the guests arrive.

4:58pm The first of the guests arrive just a few minutes early. One of the ladies greets them at the door trying to appear calm and welcoming though distracted by the endless checklists of things to do before the party that she is reading over in her mind.

5:18pm The noise in the house is increasing as pockets of friends congregate in small groups through out the house to greet one another and break off into various conversations about business, sports, and getting caught up on the newest additions to one another’s families.

5:27pm The last of the guests arrive apologizing at the door for their tardiness. One of the hostess’ welcomes them in. 5:53pm One of the ladies is in the kitchen finishing up any last touches to the meal while the other mingles around the living room offering to top off any glasses of wine that are beginning to run low as the cacophony of conversations grows.

6:07pm The guests begin to gather together around one man, as they are all mesmerized by his stories. He is clearly the life of the party. The guests try to be respectful of one another while slyly elbowing each other out of the way to get closer to this man. 6:19pm The woman in the kitchen is growing frustrated that she has been left to do the last minute food preparations herself as she peeks out the door to see the other hostess sitting next to the man who is the life of the party.

6:24pm The woman in the kitchen has had enough and marches out to the man in the center of the room and complains to him and everyone that the other hostess has left her alone to finish preparing the dinner. “Martha, Martha” the Lord replies, “You are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

How many times have we been in the presence of something beautiful and not seen it because we weren’t looking? How many times has God been right in front of us as we walked by or busied ourselves with our to-do lists? Oh God, open our eyes that we may see the works of your hands surrounding us. Forgive us for taking for granted the divine beauty of your creation. We know that you create beauty all around. From mountains and oceans and flowers, to new born babies and restored relationships and lives mended back together. You make all things new. Slow us down. Open the eyes of our heart so that we may see you. Amen.                   Jacob Courtney

I wonder what it was like to be the young Superman? Knowing you are called to a mission but not sure of the power within you to pull it off. Waiting for the strength to show up and the muscle to mature. Sitting on the sidelines while the world wondered if you were worth the fuss.

In Acts 19 there is another group of guys that have waited. They were baptized by John the Baptist maybe 25 years earlier and now they wait. They have a message and a mission but no muscle. They know they were called for a purpose but they lack the power. So the Apostle Paul comes to them and asks, “Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed?” They are disciples (the NIV says so), they have bought into the story of Jesus, but there is nothing in their life to reflect the passionate, purposeful, powerful, ABUNDANT life that Jesus promised. Sound familiar?

For many of us we know Jesus as the forgiver of our sins and the saver of our souls. Thanks to Him we are going to heaven and not headed to the other place, (H E double hockey sticks). We have fire insurance and that’s about all. Where is the power? Where is the supernatural, out of this world, change the planet strength that we thought we’d have when we went to an altar at church camp or were baptized as young adults? Where is the ABUNDANT life? We have waited, wondering, weak and worrying. Is this as good as it gets?

Paul comes to the men at Ephesus and asks, “Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed?” That question brings up a problem for me.  Aren’t Jesus and the Holy Spirit one in the same? Can you get Christ and not get the Spirit? I don’t think so. Maybe that’s why Paul writes to them years later and reminds them that there is “One Lord, one faith, one baptism; One God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.” (Ephesians 4:5-6) So, rather than get all theological about this let’s just say that if you have Jesus in your heart you’ve got the Holy Spirit in you as well. That must mean that there is a way of living that fails to recognize and exemplify the power of God in the life of the believer. Something about these guys made Paul ask the question. “What’s the deal? You’ve been hanging around 25 years and I don’t see much going on? Did you receive the Spirit?” The rest of the story is pretty cool. He tells them about the Holy Spirit, baptizes them in the name of Jesus, lays his hands on them and they have a praise Jesus meeting to beat the band.

Now here is what I make up about that. We get two things when we get Jesus. (Well, we get a lot of things; eternal life, peace that passes all understanding, joy unspeakable…) But two things really stand out. We get His Presence. All of the presence of God is ours. Not just a part, not just an itsy bitsy slice, all of God is in Jesus and He is in us. Colossians 1:19 says “For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him.” And all of that fullness dwells in us. Listen young Superman, you are not in this thing alone. He is with you. Every trial you face, every struggle you have, every step of the way the Creator of the Universe is right there inside you and He promises to “Never leave you or forsake you.” I can handle that!

The second thing we get is His Power. We are not some mealy mouthed, mamby pamby, hope we can make it another day kind of followers. When you invited Christ into your life He came with great POWER. Go get in front of the mirror right now. Unbutton your shirt and look at that t-shirt. (Okay, check that. I remember what my skinny chest and sloppy belly looked like in the mirror this morning.) Maybe we should just imagine the blue tights and the bold, red S on our chests. We are supermen and superwomen, filled with the presence and power of God and able to do more than we think or can imagine. Even Jesus said to us “Anyone who has faith in Me will do what I have done. He will do greater things than these.” (John 14:12) Are you trying to reach your friends for Jesus? Are you wanting God to work in your marriage? Are you looking at a ministry and wishing you could tackle it? YOU HAVE GOT THE POWER IN YOU. All you have to do is start operating In the Name of Jesus.

Next week we’ll talk more about what that looks like. For today the lesson is this. You can do anything because Jesus Christ lives in you and gives you strength. (That would make a pretty good Bible verse.) Maybe you have been waiting around for a long time for God to come and make you strong. Maybe you have been on the sidelines hoping someday He would give you something special. He already did. It’s a done deal. The power of His presence is in you now. You are a world changer. You are a hero. You are Supersomebody and He is ready to do a mighty work in you. That fires me up!

One final note. Acts 19:7 says there were 12 men. After 25 years only 12 men. Waiting around, hoping for some power, not accomplishing much. A few years later Paul writes to the Ephesians “Ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus, and your love for the saints, I have not stopped giving thanks for you.” (1:15-16) There are so many there that Paul doesn’t even know them. The church at Ephesus is a power-house for evangelizing the Gentiles. They have taken off. When the power comes stuff happens. So you, this week, slip into a phone booth somewhere, rip open your shirt and begin to serve God with POWER. You will be amazed at what He starts doing through you.

Mike

There will be a hundred epitaphs and a thousand blogs, ten thousand, written about Whitney Houston. Some will confer sainthood on her immediately and deify her music and talent. Others will use this opportunity to vilify her life and life style in the hopes of evangelizing some wayward youth and rescuing them from a like demise. I guess both approaches are fair game when a life has been so public for so long.

But my thoughts this morning are not so much about Whitney Houston or Bobby Brown, or even that girl that had blue hair last night. My thoughts are about me. (Now there’s a surprise!) And about what I am offering a hungry world that is desperately seeking a hero. Granted my world is much, much smaller than Ms. Houston’s. And my impact will certainly not gain the same press, good or bad. But I do have a sphere of influence, a small community of travelers in the same lane, moving in the same direction as me for a while. And I have a window of opportunity to be a model of some sort to them.

Paul says, “Follow me as I follow Christ.” To the Thessalonians in I Thessalonians 1:6 he said, “You became imitators of us and of the Lord.” Now there’s a sobering thought that there is a part of my world that is watching to see how I do it, making their decisions about how and if to live for Christ based on what they see in me. They watch how I start. They judge me in the middle. And they will be there to make observations at the end. Even if my “entourage” at the very end is no more than my wife and sons and grandsons it is a staggering responsibility to know that they will pass out my Grammy Award.

So, this morning I am not thinking about Whitney nearly as much as I am thinking about me…and them. What will I leave them? What am I telling them now? What lessons will they use of mine to shape their own destiny?

Here are three fast and simple ideas that I think I hope they get:

1. Life is short. It goes so fast that there is not a lot of room for waste. Now that is all the more reason to relax and enjoy it by the way. Time is too short to be fretting all the time about getting it perfect. But having said that, my father-in-laws adage is true, “Only one life will soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last.”
2. Our battle is not for anything on this planet. Don’t get me wrong. I want fame and wealth and a new pick-up truck as well as the next guy. I sit around at night and look through the Bass Pro Shop catalogue and dream. I watch Charles Stanley on TV and wish that was me. (Being on TV, not looking old and wearing thick glasses like Charles Stanley.) I want to have more than I have and be more than I am. But I am always drawn back to
   the fact that that is not the battle. “Our battle is not against flesh and blood…..but against the spiritual forces of evil.” Ephesians 6:12 We are in a fight for our lives, literally, and the lives of those we care about and it won’t be won with glamour and glitz. We saw that this weekend.
3. All we have to do to win is finish. Can you believe that? We are in a race where the outcome has already been decided. Guess what? We win. Some of us will cross the finish line in a blaze of glory with cheering crowds and adoring fans. Some of us (read that ME) will probably crawl over  in the dark of the night, just happy to have survived. It doesn’t matter. In my devotions this morning the Psalmist said, “I waited patiently for the Lord, He turned to me and heard me. He lifted me up out of the slimy pit…..He put a new song in my mouth.” Psalm 40

Listen I am no Whitney Houston or Bruno Mars or that guy that looks like Mickey Mouse. But I can SING! I know what is important. I know what I have to do to get there. And I know that the King of Kings and Lord of Lords both sings over me and sings through me every step of the way. Now that’s the lesson I want my peeps to get. Word.  (I really just embarrassed myself. I don’t know what that means.)

Mike

(Follow our weekly prayer list in this website. For more Mike blogs join www.mikecourtney.blogspot.com)

In the upper room Jesus is fully aware that his imminent departure is going to devastate His little band of followers. Not just the disciples but the small community of believers, His entourage, they are probably gathered there as He teaches them one more time about the significance of the Passover meal, about Branches and Vines, and about Abundant Life. Remember He has just said,” I have come that you might have abundant life.” John 10:10. And now He says, “It is important for you that I go away.” John 16:7

Really Lord? Okay, I’m really confused now. Are you going to give us something that makes us happy wealthy and wise? Is it going to be all ice cream and roses from this point on with lots of singing and laughter, and generally feeling good? I mean are we going to have abundant life like you promised? Or? Are you leaving us in our darkest hour? Is it true that we are going to be misquoted, misunderstood, and mistreated? Are we really going to be kicked out of the church? Even killed in your name? Really? Which one is it? Abundant life or miserable death? Good times or bad times? To which Jesus replies…you guessed it, YES!

The reason I am leaving He says is so that the Holy Spirit can come. Now we can have a great fun discussion about the theological physics of the Trinity. Was there some time and space edict, like Back to the Future, where Marty Frye and his father couldn’t occupy the same space at the same time? Was it necessary for the physical body of Christ to be gone so that the universal body of Christ could be receptive to the Holy Spirit of God? Well, my deep theological answer to that is…I don’t know. But I do know that Jesus says, “I have to go away. But when He comes….Well, when He comes that is going to be a game changer. Life will hit this town again, the lights of the theatre will blaze once more. Like Luke in The Majestic, His coming (The Holy Spirit) will put pep back in the step of everyone who recognizes Him.” (Believe it or not, that’s not an exact quote.) The Abundant Life comes to us when we fully recognize, invite, and embrace the Holy Spirit in our world, our lives, and our hearts.

Here’s the deal. The Abundant Life is not a thing that we get. It is a Person that we engage. The Abundant Life is a life immersed in the Holy Spirit of God, given over to Him, and His leading, and His presence in a way that perhaps we have never dreamed possible. When we allow Him to live in us like that, the old theatre comes alive in a new way and the lights come. Our life becomes….. Majestic.

I am not sure everything that this means but, the Perfect Presence of God, the Divine Doer of all that is good, and right, and noble, the King of the World and the Creator of the Universe, somehow steps inside my skin and lives in me.  Wow! That changes everything. Listen, remember our conversation last week? I don’t mope around in fear. I don’t keep my fingers on my spiritual pulse to see if I’m still breathing. Jesus says, “I will leave physically so that I can come spiritually and live in the form of the Holy Spirit inside each one of you.” Paul says it another way in Colossians 1, “To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Do you get that? Christ, the Holy Spirit, actually living in you and in me. Well, that is downright Majestic.

That means at least three things to me. All three of them are about taking the pressure off of me and allowing me to just live the Abundant Life.  First, He keeps me on track. “When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: “ ( John 16:8) Jesus uses the word “righteousness.” Dikaiosune is the Greek word that we might translate as right-ed-ness, to be put in a right relationship with God. We are like a mirror trying to line up correctly so as to produce an accurate reflection of God to the world. It is the Holy Spirit that is saying, “Easy, easy, a little more to the left, now bring it in just a smidge. Perfect.” He is at work in us to help us point our compass to True North.

Second He continually teaches me. “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.” (John 16:13) I don’t know about you but I am in a perpetual state of remedial life. I constantly need refresher courses. And the Holy Spirit gently but firmly teaches me all day long, each step of the day. I don’t have to cram for some cosmic final exam. I am just enjoying lessons all along the way about grace, and patience, and trust. “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John14:26)

The final thing the Holy Spirit does, He keeps me focused on what really matters, or better yet, who really matters. “All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.” (John 16:15) I can get distracted with the best of them. I fret about finances, fuss about family, fume over the future. But when I listen to Him in me, the Holy Spirit says, “Hey, you’re missing the big picture. You need to focus on me and see all of the marvelous things I am doing. (And going to do!) You see that bad doctor’s report? Watch how I step in there. Are you looking at that pile of bills on your desk? Let me show you something about providing. Do you have your eyes on that kid that’s breaking your heart? See what I can do with prodigals.

When my focus becomes Him rather than the stuff around me life gets Abundant. The dread and drudgery turns unto delight. It’s like magic. Instead of doom and gloom the lights come on and everything around me is joy and peace. The Holy Spirit, living in me, when  I get out of the way turns the dark screen into a 3-D, multi-view, surround sound, Cineplex. And I can sit back and enjoy the show.

In the movie, The Majestic, Jim Carrey’s make believe father is telling him about re-opening the theatre. His voice is full of passion and his hands gesture toward the dusty old screen. “That’s why we call it The Majestic. Any man, woman, child could buy their ticket, walk right in. Here they’d be, here we’d be. “Yes sir, yes ma’am. Enjoy the show.” And in they’d come entering a palace, like in a dream, like in heaven. Maybe you had worries and problems out there, but once you came through those doors, they didn’t matter anymore. And you know why? Chaplin, that’s why. And Keaton and Lloyd. Garbo, Gable, and Lombard, and Jimmy Stewart and Jimmy Cagney. Fred and Ginger. They were gods. And they lived up there. That was Olympus. Would you remember if I told you how lucky we felt just to be here? To have the privilege of watching them. I mean, this television thing. Why would you want to stay at home and watch a little box? Because it’s convenient? Because you don’t have to get dressed up, because you could just sit there? I mean, how can you call that entertainment, alone in your living room? Where’s the other people? Where’s the audience? Where’s the magic? I’ll tell you, in a place like this, the magic is all around you. The trick is to see it.” The Holy Spirit is at work in you today. The trick is to see it.

Mike

(This is the second blog in a six part series on The Abundant Life. To read the whole series, or to find the complete manuscript of the lesson to our staff from which it came, go to www.mikecourtney.blogspot.com)

I started this blog on New Year’s Eve. I had high hopes and great expectations of a new, fresh start. I would write a little every day, read through the Bible in a year (3 chapters a day and 5 on Sunday), cut my calorie intake to a reasonable amount, and not yell at the TV during football games. I even bought a new devotional book for Doris and I to do together. (The pages are falling out of Jesus Calling.)

Then life happened. Mom was put in the hospital, had emergency surgery, intensive care, and just yesterday admitted to a rehab center. My brother-in-law was also admitted to the hospital, underwent a battery of tests, and only last Monday released. On top of that there have been clients to see, year-end reports to begin, budget meetings to attend, and emails to answer. I have been sleeping in hospital chairs, updating FaceBook, previewing nursing homes, and wolfing down Big Macs from behind the steering will. I am 31 chapters behind on my Bible reading. The devotional book has not been opened (though we have gone back to Jesus Calling about every day), and I am just now picking up this blog again.

Stuff doesn’t always fall into place the way we anticipated it would. Schedules fall through, budgets get out of whack, goals get set aside, and we get lost in the morass of the mundane. We are swallowed up by life and it’s only January 12. Not only does that happen for the New Year but it happens for the new you. We decide to be different. Stop an old habit. Start a new one. Change a relationship or change ourselves in a relationship. The intentions are good but BAM, life smacks us in the face and before we know it we are right back to business as usual and living under the weight of regret. Sound familiar? It sure does for me. In fact, the older I get the more it seems that life is winning.

Two things some to my mind this morning, first Jesus is not surprised by that. He anticipated it. Remember the conversation with Peter on the seashore after an early morning fish fry. I love Peter. He is the king of big plans and good intentions. “I’ll follow you anywhere Lord.” “Give me a sword, they won’t get by me.” “I’ll never deny you Jesus.” Even on this morning he is declaring, “Lord, after all this, I’m your guy. I love you. I’ll take care of your business for you.” And Jesus says,” Peter, when you were young you went where you wanted to go but the older you get, the more life dictates the direction of things for you.” (The gospel according to me.) He says. “You will reach a point where others will pick out the clothes you will wear and even make you go places you do not want to go.” (John 21) Things are only going to get more and more out of your control, He says. And brother, He was right.

My calendar seems to fill itself up. My schedule for the day begins screaming at me the night before and my To Do list shakes me awake at 3AM and says, “You’ve got no chance of getting this stuff finished.” I pile on top of that a healthy (actually unhealthy) dose of should haves, and oughts, and I am pretty much sunk before the boat ever leaves the dock. Frustrating to me maybe but not surprising to Jesus.

Which leads me to the second thing, also from Him, He has a plan for all of that. In Matthew 6 He is wrapping up the Sermon from the Mountain. It has been a good talk about blessings and staying focused on the right things. I am sure a lot of people are standing there saying, “Hey, I’m going to do this stuff. A whole new way of living for me. I’m putting a plan in place and this time next year you aren’t even going to recognize me. I’ll be a lean, mean Jesus machine.” Jesus gets that from them and He says this, “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.” (Matt. 6:34 MSG) Pretty good advice, huh?

Listen, plans, and dreams, and goals, and even New Year’s Resolutions, aren’t bad. They help us focus. They challenge us. They can be agents for change. But be prepared. Life is going to happen. It may come at you in ways you never expected. It may be doing that now. You only have one job. Look for what Jesus is doing around you and in you right this minute and plug into that. Tomorrow we’ll figure out the next thing to do but for today, just me and Jesus. The 12 Step crowd says “Living one day at a time. Accepting life on life’s terms.” I can do that. I’ll try to catch up on my Bible reading. I’ll get some of my running in, and Doris and I will get to the devotional book later. But for now, take a deep breath and see God at work. And revel in that….while you’re at it, have a BigMac. Mike

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MARRIAGE COVENANT WEEKEND

The next Marriage Covenant Weekend at Beersheba Springs Assembly is planned for February 24-26, 2012. This is your invitation to join us for this fun filled weekend. We are registering couples now and need to hear from you if you are interested.

Here is some more information about the Weekend.

The Agenda:

Session One: Friday night 7PM

“Finding Out Who We Are”

“Former Things – The Baggage We Bring”

Session Two: Saturday Morning

“Frustration”

“Facts or Feelings”

Session Three: Saturday Afternoon

“Family Meeting”

“Fireproofing Your Marriage”

Session Four: Saturday Evening

“Failure and How I Achieved It”

“Forgiveness”

Session Five: Sunday Morning

“Faithful Fellowship”

“Forever Covenant”

Finishing up with Sunday lunch

Marriage Covenant Weekend:

This fun weekend is filled with testimony, interaction, and teaching on the covenant of marriage. Space is limited to 12-14 couples in the Turner Lodge at Beersheba Springs Assembly. Meals are prepared in the lodge by the participants. The sessions begin on Friday night at 7PM and end Sunday after lunch.

Registration is by check for $205.00 per couple. Please make your check payable to: Restoration and Renewal Ministry, and mail them to 2450 Thompson Road, Murfreesboro, TN 37128.

(There will be some additional expense for shared food preparation.)

Click on this link for a brochureabout this Marriage Covenant Weekend

http://randrministry.com/Artwork/CovenantRenewalBrochure2011-2012.pdf

For more information about Beersheba Springs Assembly, copy the following into Youtube: laLH-xWGVfM or go tohttp://tnumcamps.org/beersheba/

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An INTENSIVE is a one week, deeply focused, therapeutic event at Branches. The goal is to do in a short period of time through intense counseling what might otherwise take months or years. Clients begin early on Monday morning and conclude on Friday afternoon with a daily regimen of counseling, support groups, EMDR, inner-healing prayer and much more. It is truly life changing.

INTENSIVES are appropriate for non-using addicts needing to strengthen their recovery, persons with depression or anxiety issues where they have become stuck, couples in crisis, and a number of other hurts, habits, or hang-ups that need a boost for forward progress.

In both November and December our INTENSIVES will be the 2nd week if the month. That is November 7-11 and December 12-16. Give yourself or someone you love the gift of healing in 2011. Call Branches for more information about an INTENSIVE. (615) 904-7170.

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Our new address is:

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BRANCHES ON FRIDAY!!!!

We have a new idea at Branches to continue to meet needs. So many times in the counseling office we have other “auxiliary” issues come up, things like finances, diet, etc. So, we are going to begin to offer this kind of counseling every Friday. We will have a financial planner, a nutritionists, and an inner-healing prayer counselor. The counseling sessions will be $50 each and will not be scholarshipped but we believe very important needs can be addressed. As other needs arise we will add counselors. Call for more information.

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 Co-dependency Support Group is a 6 week group Monday, 6-7pm. We’ll cover topics like codependency, boundaries, self esteem, rebuilding trust and more. Also, we’ll just plain encourage and pray for each other! Interested? For information email drussell@branchesrecoverycenter.com